Gender Imbalance

Crisis looms as 18 million Chinese can't find a wife: China is planning to tighten punishments for sex-selective abortions amid concerns that its widening gender imbalance will lead to wife trafficking, sexual crimes and social frustration. Shocking new figures released by the state media show that the worst affected city, Lianyungang in Jiangsu province, has a ratio of 165 boys to 100 girls among children aged one to four.

Blue in Green at Jiu Zhai Gou

Blue in Green at Jiu Zhai Gou, originally uploaded by michaeldillingham.

Returning to China

Adopted Chinese children return to their roots: Thirty Chinese children adopted by North American families have returned to China "to search for their roots". The children aged 12 to 18 joined a summer camp with a theme of "Embracing China, Feeling Beijing", which was sponsored by the China Centre of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) and specially designed for Chinese children adopted by foreign families.

Chinese garden

Chinese garden, originally uploaded by cairistine.

China Girl BBC Radio Program

China Girl: China Girl follows the emotional and surprising journeys of Britons who are seeking to adopt a baby from China. The series is presented by the BBC world affairs reporter Emily Buchanan, who has herself adopted two children from China.

City wall Xi'an

City wall Xi'an, originally uploaded by Spring Globe.

The Imperial Academy III

The Imperial Academy III, originally uploaded by horses and tigers.

Local Story

Adoptive familes swap stories at picnic: Joslin Fields' adopted daughter was wrapped in six layers of winter clothes when Chinese adoption officials handed her over in 2003. "There was only 19 pounds beneath the 25 pound package we were handed," Fields recalled Sunday. "It was weird, because 2 1/2 years of anticipation led up to this big event."

Local Story

Group supports adoptive families: Adoption can be a long, trying process for a family, but one that most find worth the tribulation. International adoption, in particular, may take a longer than a domestic adoption. Several Limestone County families who are members of the Athens chapter of Families with Children from China say a network of people who have gone through the same process may make the course of an adoption easier to navigate.

Ancient Building

Ancient Building, originally uploaded by ChineseEmma.