What's in the bag? Elizabeth and Matt are traveling "extra light" to China. To make the trip easier, they have decided to forego checking in luggage. What's in their carry-on? Cheerios (highly recommended by friends who've been there-they say it's big for the kids!) Shortwave radio for music and news Diapers Baby formula in case we don't find any immediately Wipes, medications

AUGUST 13, 2003 » Photos: Final Day in China » Wrapping Up the Trip, Going Home AUGUST 12, 2003 » Photos: U.S. Consulate » Finishing U.S. Papers AUGUST 11, 2003 » Photos: GuangZhou » Medical Exam AUGUST 8, 2003 » Photos: Passport » Finalizing Paperwork AUGUST 7, 2003 » Photos: Trip Through Hunan AUGUST 6, 2003 » In the Orphanage » Photos: Orphanage - Cameras Not Allowed AUGUST 4, 2003 » Changsha, China » Photos: First Day as a Family AUGUST 3, 2003 » Paperwork and Waiting » Photos - Come Together Intro » Adopting a Child from China

First contact between mother and child is by photograph for adoptive parents Elizabeth Hahn. She and her husband Matthew are among a growing number of Americans looking overseas to adopt a child for their own. And these days, China is becoming a popular choice.

Since the Chinese government relaxed its adoption policies in 1992, the number of Americans adopting Chinese children has grown significantly. In the last five years, as many as 23,000 Chinese children, most of them young girls, found new homes in American families. Last year, Chinese children represented the biggest group of international adoptees coming in to the United States. (data from the U.S. State Department,)

Many American couples (and lately, single parents) prefer to adopt from China because it is easier for many to fit the Chinese government requirements, than domestic laws. While U.S. adoption law favors younger couples, China requires that prospective parents be at least 30 years old and financially able to support the child. The ready availability of children, as well as the fact that the Chinese government has taken steps to make the process more simple, predictable and organized, play a big role in encouraging prospective parents to look eastward for a child.

Side Effect of a One Child Policy

About 98 percent of the children being given up for adoption in China are female. This is a result of centuries-old tradition combined with the "One Child Policy" put in place by the government beginning in the 1970's.

Traditionally, Chinese culture gives preference to sons rather than daughters. This is especially true in the rural areas, where males are seen to be more useful in doing fieldwork than women. As the "One Child Policy" penalizes couples who decide to rear more than one offspring, many of those who give birth to a daughter find themselves at a disadvantage.

Because it is very difficult to give up a child in China for adoption legally, many couples abandon their babies in places where they can easily be found by strangers, and be taken to the Welfare Center for adoption. That the chances of biological parents coming back to re-claim their abandoned daughter are very small, and this has also been a factor for some parents in considering China as their choice for adoption.

More on China Adoption from the U.S. State Department website:
http://travel.state.gov/adoption_china.html

"Things just fell into place."

Matthew, 32, and Elizabeth, 41, met at the newsroom of WTVR in Virginia where they were both working as journalists. The romance that began in the winter of 1996 led to a walk in the aisle three years later. But it was not without its challenges.

In early 1997, just a year after she started dating Matthew, Elizabeth was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Because it was found at an advanced stage, she had to undergo surgery and chemotherapy-- "Although I was able to recover completely-I went back to work three months after the surgery-I knew that having biological children was no longer a possibility."

Later this week, the Hahns began a journey that will change their lives, and that of a little girl from Hunan province in central China. The trip is a culmination of more than a year of paperwork, home studies, and endless waiting--- not to mention the disruption caused by the recent SARS scare. They are both, in their own words, "excited, jumpy, anxious, nervous, and excited."

Gut Feel

"The decision to go to China was not a rational one. One day I just looked at Matt and said-'Do you want to start looking into adoption? How about China?' And then we started doing some research, and indeed it seemed like the best option. We didn't even really consider other countries like Russia and Kazakhstan. It was China for us."

"We are the lucky ones."

The idea of Americans adopting children from overseas is regarded by some as a humanitarian act-- they see a couple from a first-world country seeking to help a child from a poor or disadvantaged nation--- and by others as American imperialism. Alternately Americans who adopt from poor countries are praised or condemned.

Elizabeth Hahn, however, doesn't see herself in either position. "Actually, I feel creepy when somebody tells me that what we're doing is a wonderful thing. The truth is, we are not doing this to 'save' Allie from poverty. We are doing this simply because we want to be parents. Matt and I, we are the fortunate ones."

The Countdown Begins

Less than a week before their big trip to China, what does Elizabeth expect to see when she steps into that faraway land?

"I expect to see many, many people.. and I expect to feel like a racial minority. This is a good thing because it's exactly how my daughter will go through as she begins her life in the U.S."

"I want to experience the food, the culture. Of course, our primary goal in going to China is to be parents to Allie, but we would like to experience these new things as well."

"I expect that they will treat us beautifully. I heard from some friends who have been to China, that the Chinese are delighted to see Americans who are adopting Chinese babies. They would probably want to take pictures with us, with the baby."

Travel and Preparation

"Right now, with the trip just a few days away, I am most anxious about logistics for our travel. Although yes, I did go through those 4 a.m. anxiety attacks.. I would find myself asking: What on earth are we doing? What if we don't turn out to be good parents?"

"But Matt and I have prepared for this for a long time. I think we are as prepared as two people can possibly be.. especially since we made a lot of deliberate decisions about our parenthood--- about how our child would look like, about her cultural diversity and upbringing, about honoring her birth culture. These are decisions that are already made for you when you have biological children. Yet, anxious as we are, we feel we are doing it for the right reasons."

On Sunday, August 3rd, nine-month-old Alexandra Hope Xia Hahn will be united with her new parents, Elizabeth and Matthew, at the Dolton Hotel in Changsha. In a few days, the baby in the picture will be finding her way into Elizabeth's arms.