Zhen Zhu Comes To Canada

Huai’an Zhu was born on May 15, 2003 in Jiangsu Province, Peoples Republic of China, and soon found her way to the doorstep of the Huai’an city Social Welfare Institute. She was well cared for there until adopted on Feb. 23, 2004 by Andy Forest and Julie Martin, of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This is her story. 

Andy and I (Andy’s father) went to China for the adoption process, while Andy’s wife, Julie, reluctantly stayed back to take care of their other two children, Bailey (4) and Téa (2). After a year-long process our trip began in Toronto on Feb. 21, 2004. Many days of careful preparation preceded the journey. While Julie took the lead in preparing for the trip, Andy continued to complete projects at his business. She did Internet research, meetings with other parents and the Open Arms Agency, assembling medicines, baby stuff, and appropriate clothing (we hoped). Julie packed carefully, recognizing that we had to take a flight within China where we were restricted to 44 lbs. each total weight for baggage. Andy remarked that he had never been so organized for a trip in his life!

Doris drove us to the airport. We were up at 3:30 am, and when we arrived at Andy’s house at 5:00 am, the whole family (including Rochelle) was up to see us off. When we got to the airport, we had to ask our way to the right departure gate. It turned out to be the Vancouver gate, since we were stopping there. At 6:00 am, we were greeted by long line waiting to check in. Fortunately, there were many counters open, and all went quickly and smoothly. The stroller went into a special window, no bag, no problem. With over two hours to wait, we got some breakfast, and drew a deep breath or two. 

Security was strict. I was waved through, but Andy had to unpack his backpack and explain the mass of wires, laptop, Palm Pilot, cables, connectors, cameras and battery packs. As I waited, they questioned why I was hanging about, so I went on, meeting Andy outside the area. 

We were able to obtain two seats together by the window, so it was worthwhile arriving early (return seats were already booked as two together). It was going to be a long trip, and we were glad not to have someone on both sides. The seats were fairly comfortable, with enough legroom for Andy’s 6 foot 3 inch frame. We were just back of the first class seats, and could smell the fresh coffee and hear the champagne. Curtains were pulled, as if the sight of us plebeians would put them off their quail and truffles. 

The flight attendants were great, and very hard workers. It must be hard to smile through so many demands and requirements from passengers. Physically working in turbulence and thin air takes its toll. The captain gave us lots of confidence in the flight crew when he announced, “ We will be flying at  ... oh... about 32 thousand feet on our flight to ... (pause).... click .........click (mike on again) ...Shanghai .....”  However, it seems that the autopilot did a good job and got us there. 

The view over the Rockies was spectacular in the evening sun. We got off with all our carry-on bags in Vancouver while they prepared the plane for a long run. Andy bought a Smoked Pacific Salmon pack to add to the gifts for the SWI.  

On the 11-hour trip over the Pacific, we used the neck pillows to try to get some sleep. Andy slept a lot, but I am a light sleeper, and had some difficulty. Even two mild sleeping pills only fuzzed me for a few minutes, but I did have a few cat naps. There was always someone talking loudly, singing as they went up the aisle, or jiggling the seat. Just my luck to have a children’s play area materialize in the middle seats beside us. I think the kids slept in shifts to keep the area active the whole trip.

We landed in Shanghai on time. We learned later that Julie and Doris had been following the flight on the Internet, seeing a little plane flying in real time across the Pacific. We joined up with the others in our group, and prepared for a long check through Chinese customs. To our amazement, an official saw us coming, undid a rope, opened a gate, and our group was siphoned off from the main stream. We suddenly found ourselves in the main arrivals area – no customs. It may have had to do with us being an identifiable group with empty strollers and no kids!

Our group soon found Cherry, our guide for the duration of the trip. Looking back at the picture later, what strikes me the most is – no babies!! We must have looked like quite an alien group in China, with a potential basketball group, Andy (left) at 6’3”, Randy, at 6’8” (middle), and Ralph, at 6’5” (right). The only child accompanying us at this point was six year old Samantha (Ralph and Mary's daughter).

Cherry soon got us to the bus. We didn’t know what to expect, having speculated on the plane that it would be anything from a modern skyliner with glass ceilings and a washroom, to a rickety local bus with chickens and ducks on the top. As it turned out it was in between - a good tourist bus, 25 soft seats, with an excellent driver. After Cherry introduced herself, and gave an outline of what was to come, one of our group (Bob I think), stood up and outright asked her if she had done this kind of trip before. Cherry thought quietly for a moment, then smiled and quietly said “What do you think?”. We later realized that the question was too direct and personal, and came before we had established a relationship with Cherry. Later in the trip, in quiet conversation after dinner, we asked her the same thing indirectly (Must be interesting leading trips ... you must have led many ... have you seen changes over the years ... etc.). Cherry soon talked freely about her experiences, and we learned that she has done “hundreds” of tours over many years, including regular tourist tours. 

On the bus trip, Andy managed to crash for a while, but I could only watch out the window. We didn’t see much of Shanghai, as we drove directly on the expressway to Nanjing.  It was amazing that, for the first 2 hours of the 4 ½  hour trip, the countryside was completely built up at least as far as we could see. Construction cranes were everywhere, and condos were being built right up against the expressway, sometimes within inches. Lots of “in your face” billboards, with lots of color. Many were advertising for industrial parks.

We stopped at a truck stop for a pee break, our first experience with a Chinese washroom. The white ceramic toilets were flush with the ground (so to speak). At least we had urinals – the women came out with scrunched up faces – they had to squat. 

The total trip took 4 ½ hours. By now it was mid-evening, but still lots of trucks, buses, and some cars on the road. The medians were well groomed, with precisely trimmed lines of bushes and plants. The vehicles drove very close to each other, sometimes within inches. There was a short delay in getting around a stalled truck in the right lane. The left lane stream drove very close to each other, bumper to bumper, not allowing any buses or trucks from the right lane to enter. To get in, out driver had to force his way in. Threatening to clip a car (with great honking protests) was the only way to gain a spot. No courtesy here – everyone for himself! 

Arrived in Nanjing about 10:30 pm Sunday, through the ancient Zhonghua City gateway, three thick brick archways built in 1386.  For this time of night it was amazing to see hoards of vehicles, bicyclists, and motor scooters. I asked Cherry what was going on so late, and she replied “just so many people!”. The city had a broad modern main street, lined with starkly beautiful Sycamore trees. We enjoyed seeing the huge colorful billboards and neon lit buildings through our bleary eyes. 
More About Nanjing Here
When we arrived at the Jinling Hotel, the weather was quite cool, about 5 degrees Celsius. We were immediately impressed with the spaciousness of the lobby, and the efficiency and friendliness of the staff. The room was well appointed, and did have a direct Internet connection. All rooms were set up with cribs, and we were suddenly aware in a real way that soon we would be three! Andy and I spent a few hours unpacking, and setting up for the arrival of Zhen the next morning. Andy phoned Julie, who then phoned Doris, to let all know that we had safely arrived. Andy spent a while uploading pictures of our trip so far. I only got 3 or 4 hours sleep, but felt fine the next day (perhaps because I took “No-Jet-Lag” from the Health store). 



Feb.23, 2004, Day 1 in China

This is the day Julie and Andy have been waiting for – “Gotcha Day” or “Forever Day”. We laid out everything on the beds for our new arrival. Not knowing what to expect, we had lots of toys, clothes, bottles and food at the ready. Medical equipment was handy, as were lots of diapers, wipes, and plastic bags. Julie had been very thorough, and we had everything we needed. After a hasty breakfast, we were all herded into a bus for the trip to the Civil Authority Building. This was our first experience with Nanjing traffic. We were amazed as the bus wove easily from lane to lane, forcing other cars out of the way, playing chicken with pedestrians, and driving within inches of other buses. 
The Civil Authority Building was down a narrow alley, with the bus again squeezing by within inches of the parked cars. The lobby and glassed in office were sparsely decorated, but had comfortable leather chairs for our wait. We all decided to take a group photo while waiting, sort of a before and after series. Looking back on this picture, it is quite moving to see everyone without babies, then to see the next group picture, a few minutes later, where everyone suddenly has a baby for a lifetime. What a life changing moment for families and babies alike!
Without warning or fanfare, the six babies arrived! With the precious cargo came eight staff, including the two directors, four nannies, the bus driver, and another anonymous official. Soon “Huai’an Zhu” was called out, and a bundle handed to Andy. As I took pictures, Zhen began looking around at all the commotion, and gazing in wonder at Andy, his beard, and his beaming smile. She was very calm about it all, accepting the change, and seemed fascinated by everything happening around. Her Nanny came up to her, and received a warm, scrunched up face smile. We could tell right away that Zhen had been well loved, well fed, and well cared for, as had all the babies. There was no crying, only fascination with the goings on.  
Zhen twisted herself around to get a look at all she could. No smile for us yet, but she played with Andy’s beard, and enjoyed the rattle toy we brought. Her Nanny was sweet and caring, and she played with Zhen quite actively, jiggling and bouncing her. We all saw right away that the babies were used to a bit of roughhousing, and did not have to be treated as delicate “china dolls”. 
We brought along questions to ask of the orphanage caretakers. Time was so short, and in the midst of such confusion, we didn’t think that we would have time for a long discussion. We showed Zhen’s Nanny the questions in Chinese, and she answered in Chinese. I videotaped the interview, to be translated when we got home. Meanwhile, on the home front, we later learned that in celebration, Julie and Rochelle had cooked a special steak supper. They had invited Doris to be with them and were all together thinking of us at the very moment Zhen was placed in Andy’s arms! Doris and Julie had said “Andy and Grandpa have Zhen now!”, to which Bailey replied “How do you know?” Rochelle laughed, and said “good question!”. An explanation of suppositions and probabilities followed. 
We all collected for a group picture in the lobby of the Civil Authority Centre. Quite a scene, with everyone crowding in: the proud parents, government officials, Nannies, Orphanage directors, and of course the kids! Andy handed his camera to someone for the photo, and when it was handed back, the wrist strap was still on and the camera fell, lens casing broken on the marble floor. A big disappointment, but for the rest of the trip, my camera and Andy’s professional quality video camera did the job. Andy and I traded cameras back and forth during the trip, so a wide range of viewpoints resulted. I was often the main picture taker, so I am not in as many photos as the proud parents and kids. 
At handover time there was a bit of a paperwork glitch. Julie was required to send a notarized statement giving her consent to the adoption, because she was not present in China. This had been translated in Toronto by a service, which was not good enough for the Chinese officials. The document had to be officially translated in China. Fortunately, this could be done for tomorrow (for an extra fee) for the final paper signing. 
After the initial excitement, we all took the elevator to an upstairs photo studio to have official adoption photos taken. The photographer was quite skilled in getting the babies to look at the camera. Only Fiona had some difficulty sitting still (portent of things to come), her active curiosity causing her to try to take off after any interesting thing. Zhen sat back, observing everything, accepting all. The babies all took the excitement in stride, and even though it probably was their first time away from the orphanage. 
We boarded the bus, and headed for the hotel. The kids had been up since 5 a.m. for their 4 hour bus ride, but there was now very little crying, just fascinated stares out the window. Back in the hotel room, Zhen remained wide-awake and curious. As Andy uploaded the day’s pictures to his laptop, Zhen scrabbled her hand on the mouse pad, and was fascinated when this resulted in the arrow moving on the screen. The beginnings of a future computer genius! We saw her first smile for us  then, a whole face scrunched up smile that has became her trademark. From this point on, she readily smiled, first at Andy and me, then at just about anyone!
Andy phoned Julie, and shared our first time with Zhen. Julie could hardly talk – quite an emotional time for the new parents. We promised to upload pictures right away to the photoalbum website so Julie, and all the other friends and relatives of all the parents could share the excitement and view our progress. This was easy to do in the Nanjing hotel, with an inexpensive and fast Internet connection right in the room. Julie then had Doris call me, and we had a good chat about everything.
Andy warmed up the bottle to feed Zhen. It must have tasted quite different, because she made a face, and stuck her tongue out. After a while of berfulling around, she finally drank a whole bottle. Zhen’s little eyes kept closing, then she would shake her head to keep awake, still not wanting to miss anything. The little rattle was a big hit – she kept gazing at it in wonderment as it waved around in front of her, clasped in a little fist, making noise. When placed on her back, she managed to turn herself over and lift her head, but the Nanny had said that she is not crawling yet. We played with Zhen, and she was overjoyed with all the new toys. Her smiles filled her whole face. No anxiety, no worries about missing her Nanny. Zhen enjoyed playing with our beards (Andy had considered shaving his off, because there are not many beards in China), and accepted us quite readily as her caregivers. 
Zhen still had not cried, but we heard her first cry when she was laid down to sleep. She had a little hoarse cry that was more like a shout of protest rather than an all out baby cry. Andy walked and rocked, then walked and rocked and sang, and she almost fell asleep in his arms. As soon as she was put down in the crib – cry again. We made sure she was bundled up with clothes, and had a blanket tucked around (as she was probably used to in the orphanage). After a short little cry, Zhen was off to sleep. Andy went off to change some money into Yuan, and to a parent meeting with the guide, while I proudly watched Zhen sleep. Andy came back with lunch from KFC!
Zhen had a good 2-hour sleep. The guide took us to the local “shopping center” across the street. Andy bundled up Zhen in his “baby trekker”, facing front, and away we went. As we crossed the bridge over the street, we got our first taste of the attention we were to receive during the whole trip. People would stop and stare, then smile and give us a thumbs up. We were quite a procession, with all the males carrying babies front or back, all Caucasian (except for Nina, who didn’t speak any Chinese anyway), and three men well over six feet tall! Even I (at 5’ 8”) was looking over most of the crowd. 

The shopping center was a large modern building of many stories, with many sections, mostly individual entrepreneurs. The ground floor held a food store with all packaged goods, none fresh. We bought baby formula, water, juice, baby food, and some dried noodle meals for us. I have never seen so many sales people around. There were two or three women in each aisle, and many more hanging about in clusters. They grouped around the babies, and when I showed them my card (“We Come to China to Adopt a Chinese Girl”), they all smiled, laughed, and nodded in understanding. They promptly went and told everyone in the store, staff and customers alike, so we had a really appreciative audience as we moved up and down the aisles. The clerks packaged up our groceries, and ushered us to the checkout. Later we realized that they had moved us ahead of several other customers, who graciously had moved aside for us. 
We toured the rest of the floors of the building. It was difficult to figure out the organization. Some sections seemed to be one department store, perhaps government owned. Counters separated other areas with specific types and brands of merchandise (e.g. counters for Sony, Panasonic, Remington etc.), which were run by individual entrepreneurs. Prices were spectacularly low, except for electronics from Japan. There is still much resentment and negative feeling against Japan, and prices discourage buying. A few secret entrepreneurs wandered about the store, offering watches and CDs from within a half opened suit coat lapel. A lot of displays offered high-end clothing and accessories, as well as children’s clothing and toys. We promised ourselves to return for more groceries, as well as clothing for Zhen – she unexpectedly weighed in at 20 lbs.!
Back to the room for a quick change for all, then off to supper. Cherry, our knowledgeable guide, asked us to be in the lobby by 5:20 pm, knowing that some will be late. Most of us were late, spending time getting a new little one ready for an outing. We found that Zhen would not drink from a cold (or even room temperature) bottle, and insisted on a warm one. Fortunately we had brought along a light travel thermos, and we made up bottles half volume, double strength, and then later would add the hot water. We made up juice bottles, packs of diapers and wipes, toys, a bib, extra clothing, and carried camera batteries, extra tapes, energy bars and water for us, copies of official papers, a medical kit, spare chopsticks, a travel knife/fork/spoon set just in case, small flashlight, maps, and hotel key card. All this was carried in Andy’s backpack, establishing a routine for the rest of the trip. 
We marched off as a group down the street for supper, while Cherry tried to keep us together. She later commented that our group was one of the most adventuresome that she has had, and was difficult to keep together. The restaurant was in an old building that probably dated back to British colonial times. It was originally a residential house, with high ceilings, ornate chandeliers, carved wood banisters, stained glass in the doors, large fireplaces, and wide moulding. Again, there were many serving us. We were 12 people at a round table in our own room, and Cherry ordered for us. In the middle of the table was a round glass “Lazy Susan”, and the dishes were placed here about 4 at a time, and rotated until most of the food was gone, then another 4 dishes would appear. We were a little surprised at the small quantities (and quickly understood why we did not see many overweight Chinese). Each dish only allowed each person to have one piece. We were all hungry, and ordered more. The food was delicately prepared, with an emphasis on vegetables. Some meat and shrimp arrived, all with delicate sauces that complimented the flavour of the food. A big hit with the babies was a dish made from egg custard, and they all seemed to be used to rice.
The servers (usually 4 or 5) stood around the periphery of the room, waiting to refill the water and beer glasses from huge 2 litre bottles, picking up dropped napkins, watching out for needed plates or utensils, etc. Every time a camera was pointed in their direction they ducked out of the way. After 5 or 6 courses, and lots of bottles, the cost came to only $5.00 (CDN) each. Unbelievable!
We marched back to the hotel, soaking up the sight of continuous bicycle and bus traffic, streams of people, and gleaming buildings with brilliant neon lights. We proceeded into the hotel, with doors being opened, smiles from the counter, and an employee running ahead to push the elevator button for us (he looked like security, radio earphone and all). They had told us we would be spoiled here, and so we were! Zhen easily went to sleep around 9 pm. So did Andy. After a respectful time I woke Andy so he could get undressed. He uploaded the day’s pictures to the Forestlife Photoalbum, so that everyone could share our first day. I e-mailed Doris, and Andy did the same for Julie. Zhen was up only once for a bottle (establishing a pattern that lasted for months), and we got a reasonable 7 hours sleep. We were still jetlagged, but starting to catch up. As we gazed at this little life in our hands at the end of the day, we were starting to realize what an enormous change of life for all of us had begun on this first memorable day. 

Day 2 – Feb.24, 2004

Zhen woke up at 5:30 am, as we were told to expect. No crying, just little noises to let us know she was up. What a great kid! She has such a ready smile, and just about anything amuses her.  She smiles with her whole scrunched up face. Lots of baby giggles when tickled on her tummy. After a morning bottle (warmed up of course), we headed down to breakfast. We found other early risers from our group, and had to wait as the food was put out on the buffet. Zhen sat calmly, taking it all in. She loved the food, especially the egg custard (we were told that they had this in the orphanage), and lots of other bits of food (rice, beans, mashed vegetables and banana, etc.) As she was being fed, she let out with loud squeals and shouts of delight, much to the amusement of the other patrons around us. Andy and I took turns feeding her, and going back to the buffet for more. 

Off in the bus again, to the Civil Authority Centre for the exchange of cash and for the final signing. We were given a day with the babies to make sure we were pleased, and that we accepted the little one that had been handed over. The cash consisted of fees for the Authorities, and a fee to the Orphanage for the care up to now. This was to be paid in US dollars, large bills, and brand new. We were advised that if there were any creases or folds, they had to be ironed out. Bags of clothing and toys (again, they had to be brand new) were given as gifts to the orphanage, along with more personal gifts for the staff (Maple Syrup, whiskey, smoked salmon etc.). These were not opened immediately, but as is the custom, divided up later. Papers were exchanged, and the new parents could not believe the babies were finally theirs!

The kids were great through all of this. No crying, only fascinated stares at all the goings on. We certainly got the impression that they had not been out much before this. We videotaped a lot of this, including an interview with the Directors (with everyone clustered around in the main hall). We were hoping to visit the orphanage, but we were denied, with apologies about construction etc. We feel that the orphanages are still a little gun-shy from an experience with a foreign journalist a few years ago. He visited some of the poorer locations, and wrote a critical review about the conditions. China cut off adoptions for several years after this. We get the impression that China in the meantime has put money and resources into the “Social Welfare Institutes” since then. Certainly the pictures we have seen of other SWIs look good – new buildings and facilities.

We asked the Directors if we could do some fundraising for them, and they said that their main need at the moment was for some exercise equipment. They have residents of all ages, the oldest being 92! All the officials were friendly and helpful, and willing to talk to us. Not so with the guards on the doors and corridors. They forbade us to take any pictures that included them. They were pretty serious about it all, so we stayed away from them. The only negative for us was the buses and cars that idled outside the main door, and filled the waiting area and offices with exhaust fumes.

As our bus left the center, we noticed that the alley that the bus had to go down to the centre was made smaller by parked cars on either side. Our driver was very skilled at slowly edging by, literally within inches of other vehicles. The lanes on the main roads were very narrow, and buses and cars zoomed by each other with inches to spare. At one point our bus had to swerve over to pass a double-parked truck. We were in the right lane, with cars beside us in the left lane. As we moved to the centre lane, the cars beside us stayed there, thus taking over the opposing center lane, forcing the opposing traffic to swerve over to their right lane. No one gives way here unless they have to. 

There were lots of people on bicycles and scooters. These are used for many purposes. We saw one bicycle piled high and wide with wicker baskets. Another was riding along with a 12-foot high stepladder upright on the bicycle, and still another with huge bags of plastic bottles. Another rider was seen sporting garden rakes, a shovel, and two trees. Back in the hotel, we noticed from our high viewpoint the masses of bicycle commuters in bike lanes to the side of each road. We were puzzled when a bunch would stop and wait in the middle of the intersection. Then we noted that they would suddenly all go diagonally across the intersection when there was a two way advanced green. All seemed to get across safely. 

We ate lunch in the hotel room. Andy and I had bought some noodle mixes in the grocery store, and we had brought some muffins and yogurt from the breakfast buffet. (btw, the yogurt, in little plastic containers, was completely liquid, and was drunk, rather than eaten). Although we boiled some water in the room, we soon found that it was easier to buy water, and it was only about 35 cents (CDN) for a 2-litre bottle. Zhen drank the formula that Andy brought (after a few pouts and frowns at the new taste), and was soon drinking the formula we bought in the grocery store. Soft foods from our meals were also accepted, as well as food from jars of baby food from the store (Heinz!). The store soon ran out of jars, there were so many adopting parents staying in the area.

Zhen is so easy going. She responds to everyone with her full-faced smile, and continues to shout out at her food. Nothing seems to bother her – being hungry, sleepy, or falling over – she doesn’t fuss or cry, just lets us quietly know. When things are really not right (constipation for a while) her cry is more like a shout of rage. Everybody loves her – what a happy, well-fed, solid (strong arms, legs, back), well loved, and healthy baby!

Andy gave Zhen her first bath. She wasn’t sure about it at first (has she ever been in a bathtub?), but she soon discovered that she could splash with her little hands. She became more vigorous, and soon the water was splashing in her face, with lots of smile and laughs. Oh to enjoy such simple pleasures! 

After a nap in the afternoon (all of us), we played for a while, and Cherry led us off to dinner again. We had a great walk, amongst the neon signs, traffic, hoards of bicycles, and taxis not giving anyone an inch. Many people were on foot, always with lots of smiles for our parade. 

Cherry chose a fancier restaurant this time, with great dishes with different tastes. Not a large quantity of food, but well presented. As before, there were many attentive waitresses, all young and pretty, with beautiful costumes of red silk and grey ties. We ate and drank, then ordered more. The kids seemed to enjoy whatever bits of food we could manage to give them with our chopsticks. 

Back to our spectacular hotel, where Zhen played with us for a while, shaking her head fighting sleep. She fell asleep around 8 p.m., a little early. Andy uploaded the day’s pictures, including one of each couple with their new baby. We heard from Julie that the relatives and friends back home were really enjoying the first batch of pictures, and were looking forward to more. Andy and I went to sleep early, hoping for a good night’s rest (?). 


 Wed. Feb. 25 – Day 3 In China

We had a good six or seven hours sleep, with Zhen being up for about one uncomfortable hour during the night. A little later on during the night, Andy suddenly sat upright in bed, and said loudly “SHOPPING”, and promptly lay down and went to sleep again. I took a while to get over my chuckles. A portent of the day to come! 

I talked to Doris at 7:15 a.m. -  I was so glad to hear her voice, and to share some of my experiences with her. She is packed and ready to fly to Halifax for a visit with her friend, Rachel. A suggestion was made for some soaked dried prunes for Zhen (seemed to work). To avoid the “Beijing Belly”, we brushed our teeth with bottled water (hard to get over the automatic bush under the tap, especially early in the morning). We also showered with mouths closed, which was also hard to remember, because Andy and I were always chatting, catching up with a review of our lives from an adult perspective. 

After breakfast, we jumped on the bus, eager for another day of adventure. An interesting drive through the city. Again we saw the streets that are lined with sycamore trees. At this time of year they are leafless, and without bark they seem starkly beautiful. They grow quickly, and are severely pruned. These trees are a source of pride for the local people. During a recent typhoon, many were uprooted. The population turned out en mass, replanting. Many of the trees seen on our trip had bases wrapped with rope and had bamboo braces from that time. We again passed through the ancient city gates, thick archways lined with ancient brick. 

Read more about the city gates here.

Our main stop of the day was at the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Mausoleum. We arrived on the day that the International Plumb Festival was celebrated – What Luck! As we approached the gardens, a parade arrived – a colorful train, floats, tumblers, and clowns. We saw the colorful limousines that carried Sun Yat-Sen throughout China in the 1920s. 

Zhen was handed a Plumb Festival flag, which she clutched in her little hand for much of our visit. We had a ringside seat (standing) at the main performance area. The red carpet was laid out at the entrance to the extensive stairs up the mountain to the mausoleum. Colorful costumes, young performers doing balancing acts, enactments of battles, and lots of Chinese music entertained us for about ¾ of an hour before moving on. All the kids were entranced, watching with stares and open mouths. Zhen smiled and laughed, and frequently drew knots of people, and sometimes crowds around her. 

Zhen’s ready smile had people laughing and waving. When I showed my laminated card stating in Chinese “We Come To China To Adopt a Chinese Girl”, everyone responded with “Ohhhh –Ahhhh”, and lots of smiles and thumbs up. They would turn to others in the crowd to relay the message, resulting in further smiles, and at times, applause. Some said, in English, “Lucky Baby”. This was experienced by all the parents and children. We asked Cherry about all the attention and crowds that we drew. She said that as well as being happy for the children, rarely do they see men carrying babies, and never being carried in a sling facing forward. Combined with the fact that we were Caucasian (almost all tourists we ran across at this time of year were Chinese), and that three of the men were a head and more taller than almost everyone around us, the attention was understandable. 

We had quite a climb ahead of us. The site was quite intimidating, with 392 wide stairs leading up to the mausoleum, which was perched on a hill at the foot of Mount Zijin. We enjoyed the walk on a cool sunny day, with frequent rests on the way up. Some of the kids were in strollers – Bob and Helen had to carry Fiona in her chair all the way up. Lots of friendly people on the way – one was entranced with Samantha and her new pink hat, and gave her a big hug. 

We filed quietly into the Mausoleum itself (no pictures allowed). The tomb itself had a white marble stature of Sun Yat-Sen lying on it. The ceiling had a large Republic of China flag on it. We quietly walked around a catwalk, looking down on the tomb. It is rumored that the remains are no longer there, but were taken to Taiwan some time ago. 

We took a rest break outside under shade trees. Some of us wandered through the ornamental gardens behind the mausoleum. Some of the cherry trees were in bloom, and I retrieved three blossoms (from the ground), to be dried and pressed for Zhen’s journal. As we walked, we saw several people looking at us as we passed, and repeating a certain phrase in Chinese. We later asked Cherry what it meant she said that it translated as “Not theirs”. Although this seemed to be said without expression, this was the only time in China that we experienced a neutral, or even negative, reaction.

The view from the top was spectacular, but smoggy. China is industrializing fast, and pollution controls come second to economic development. We strolled back down, meeting many more friendly and happy people. Again it was notable how well dressed most of the Chinese tourists were – men in suits and ties or fashionable leather jackets, women in well cut dresses and high heels. We could tell that some tour groups were from farther out rural areas by their rougher clothing. 

On the way back we passed many booths selling tourist wares. I decided to jump in and get my first bargaining experience. I saw a baseball style hat, blue, with Chinese writing on it. I tried it on, then put it back, feigning disinterest. After looking at a few other things I came back to the hat, and asked the ever-hovering clerk, “how much?” I was prepared to use my calculator to display figures, but she spoke some English. She said “15” (yuan) – about $2.40 CDN. I said no, and looked at a few other things. I asked what the Chinese on the hat said (Sun Yat-Sen Mausoleum, Nanjing). She then said something that sounded like “10”, so I questioned “10?” and she said, “OK”! – the deal was done! Not exactly the way I had intended it to go – I would have tried 5, then 8, etc., but $1.60 CDN for a hat was fine with me. 

More About Sun Yat-Sen and the Mausoleum Here

On the bus again, back to the hotel, we saw many people, traffic, tree-lined streets, colorful billboards and buses, and constant streams of bicycles. In the afternoon we went across the street to buy groceries. We roamed around the food area – lots of counters, each with clerks behind. We looked at dried meat, packages of pickled vegetables, gummie candies, dried packs of noodle mixes, dried fish, and many other strange and wonderful things. Andy chose out some dried meat sticks, and we wandered along looking at other items. The clerks were keeping an eye on us, and I suddenly realized that each booth was its own entity, even though the area was open to the grocery store in the back half. I hauled Andy back to the counter, and we asked, with gestures, where we paid. We did have to pay the clerk behind the counter. At the next counter we bought sesame snaps, which were a rather neutral semi-sweet gum with sesame seeds stuck to them. A refreshing change to the sugar loaded snacks we usually get. Andy bought what looked like pickled cabbage to add later to his dried noodles. 

Each major intersection has bridges or underpasses for pedestrians. As we went over the bridge to the shopping area, we had to step over beggars on the steps, rattling cups for change. On the bridge, several young children, about 4 or 5 years old, descended upon us asking in English for “Change”. They would pluck at our clothing to get attention, and then stand in our way. I had learned a technique to ward off vendors – step gently on their toes. I tried this with the kids, and of course they nimbly evaded me. Since I was doing it in a playful way, several took me up on it and made a game of it – coming close, then running away with squeals of laughter. They would start this game each day when they saw me coming. At one point, a child glommed onto my leg, standing on my foot, so I just walked around for a while like that as if I didn’t notice, limping and saying I seem to be getting heavy. The kids were having so much fun and not generating any money, that mother suddenly materialized to stop the games, and send the kids to work again. We were told that some of the beggars live well, out in the suburbs, and are seen arriving in taxis each morning to ply their trade. At the other end of the bridge many well-dressed teens hung about, sidling up to us offering shoes, CDs, and computer games.

A few of us got together to go out for lunch on our own, our first food experience without Cherry. We found a modern looking cafeteria. We really didn’t know what we were doing. We surveyed the food behind the counter, and decided. One of the dishes was about 6 dumplings in a pot. We pointed, and indicated just one. We got the whole pot. Oh well, something to share. Each of us got a dish, with enough for everyone.  Good food, different than we had been having. When it came time for the bill, we got a paper with a lot of numbers on it. It seemed to be impossible to get the waiter to give us any kind of a total, so we just went to the cashier, who rang up the charge. The cost came to $5.00 CDN each. 

More shopping after lunch. We went to the large multi-storied department store across the road. Andy bought clothes for all three kids. A great little light green and white outfit for Zhen (later read the label – “Made in Italy”), a black jacket with a dragon on it for Bailey, a Chinese theme dress for Tea, black and white sandals for Zhen, a black winter jacket for Andy ($25 CDN!), Spiderman shoes for Bailey, and more. Some of the English sayings on the shirts were hilarious, poor translations I’m sure. The salespeople were all immaculately groomed, and there were many of them. While Andy bought shoes, I looked around and counted 37 sales clerks within view. Zhen sat in her front row Baby Trekker, taking it all in without a complaint. 

Back in the hotel, we played with Zhen for a while. She found it hilarious to lie on her back, while Andy threw clothes up in the air, to land on or near her (see video here). Out for supper again, with Cherry in the lead. We had a long table this time, and again the food was great. Hot and sour soup, a tofu dish, green bean sprouts, beef/pineapple, garlic ribs, steamed broccoli with sauce, spring rolls, sweet and sour chicken, mushroom rice, and lots of beer (a little weak by our standards). Although the names of the food are similar to back home, they did taste different, with a freshness and tang, and flavor we hadn’t had before. Andy and I had no more than a taste of the beer, knowing that we have short nights. early mornings, and a full day every day. 

The waitresses not only readily took to the kids, but also literally took the kids. They adored them, walking around with them, showing them to the other patrons. We think that one of the attractions to our kids is that there are very few children in urban cities, especially girls. Just after we ordered, we noticed fish in a tank, to the delight of the kids. We had ordered boiled fresh fish, and as it turned out, they got the fish from this tank, telling us that they came fresh from the nearby Yangtze River. This took some time to prepare, and it arrived just as we had finished, and were preparing to leave. We all felt obligated to try a few mouthfuls, and it was soon obvious that the fish had come from one of the most polluted rivers in the world. We left most of it. 

We took the long way back to the hotel, just to take in the evening sights and sounds (noisy, but no car horns). We always had to be careful crossing corners, or going across the bike lanes – no one gives way to pedestrians. 

Back in the hotel, we did washing, made bottles, changed Zhen, and put her down to sleep. She goes so easily, no crying at all. We wrote e-mails, I did my daily journal, Andy uploaded pictures to the photoalbum, read for a few minutes, and fell asleep, hopefully for a longer sleep tonight. 


Day 4 – Thurs. Feb. 26, 2004

Up early again, and down to breakfast with everyone. Lots of food available, and we all stocked up our plates. As well as the usual fare of buns, croissants, muffins, cold and hot cereals, a range of breads and fruit, juices, cow and goat milk, and yogurt, there were trays of covered hot food. We had: fried green beans, the usual eggs, bacon, sausage and ham, several kinds of noodles, an interesting soup, several kinds of fried rice, and stir fried vegetables. Some of the more exotic foods were favorites: green vegetable french toast, fried dough sticks, and sticky rice glue balls (we later heard that sticky rice glue was used in the mortar of the Nanjing City gates and wall, which held up for many centuries). In addition, there were counters where food was prepared and cooked for you on the spot, including chicken patties, fried clams, special pancakes, and a stir-fry mixture. Options included mixing in hot spices. 

Julie had requested pictures of each of the kids, so we took some time doing portraits (see them here) to upload to the photoalbum. Got some great pictures, many reflecting the personalities of the kids. 

The following paragraph may contain words that may offend many people, although the purpose is not intended to harm anyone. Need to know basis only, reader discretion is advised, adult accompaniment only:

We had quite a conversation around the breakfast table about our first few days with the kids. The comments (sharing of important experiences and information) centered on constipation, poo consistency, and the relative efficiency of prunes, pumpkin, peaches, pears, or peas. (It seemed that most of the kids had this problem – must be the change of diet). Techniques for diapering and changing were exchanged, but the line was drawn (with hoots and hollers) when one father (I won’t say who – you know who you are) began to describe the process of getting out a booger! Luckily we had almost finished breakfast. 


Off in the bus again, past strip plazas, alleyways, apartment buildings, and ever present construction. Our first stop was the “Nanjing Memorial To The Massacre By The Japanese Invaders”. Quite a site, with lots of details and facts to read and see. About 300,000 Chinese were killed during the invasion in 1937. During the next eight years, over 35 million Chinese were killed in conflicts with the Japanese. The memorial included stark gardens with sculptures depicting the massacre, massive rocks moved from nearby massacre sites, inscribed with the story, and a walkway with footprints of some of the survivors recently (1960s) embedded in the cement. A gruesome sight was the original burial ground, behind glass, showing skeletons and bones. A large hall of pictures and memorabilia displayed photos and artifacts from the time. Most of us spent some time there, although it was decided that Samantha, being only six years old (she looks eight or nine), could not go in. Japan has never offered any apology or acknowledged any wrongdoing, and the resentment in China still lingers.  

Read More About The Massacre Here

Our next stop was the Brocade Museum, right behind the Massacre Memorial site. Until recently, this was not well known and hard to get to, and today seems tucked away on a back street. We had to walk several blocks to get to it. On the way, we met some local families with children in arms, who wanted to introduce the kids. We gave their kids pencils with the Canadian flag on them, which were much appreciated. 

The museum is actually a working Brocade factory and retail outlet, on several floors, with one floor dedicated to cases of ancient Brocade cloth and costumes. On one floor we saw working looms. These were two tiered, with one worker sitting at a high level, pulling levers and strings for the pattern, while the worker on the lower level pushed the shuttle with the proper color of silk thread through the raised and lowered strung thread. Only about two inches of fabric can be made in a day. It is called Yun (or Yung) (Cloud) Brocade, and there is a saying in China that it is more valuable and precious than gold. 

We were told that these particular looms were 800 years old, and that the art has been passed on through family groups. Today, they are training a few workers at a time here (it takes 3 years) in this highly skilled and ancient (since 1300) art, the only place in China to use the old techniques. I bought a beautiful night bag and matching hair slide for Zhen’s 16th birthday. I also collected a stone, which I brought back for the collection for Zhen’s journal. 

On the way back in the bus, we passed some of the poorer areas of Nanjing – old shacks and buildings, and local strip malls, looking quite run down. Andy noticed that one take-out food place was handing dishes out the back window to be washed in the alley. There were many rows of government buildings with rattley old air conditioners, and clothes racks extending out from the balconies. At one construction site we noticed that all the workers wore suit coats or sports jackets, and the supervisors were standing around watching in formal dark suits and ties. 

Back to the hotel for lunch in the room. We had brought some food from the breakfast buffet, and Andy had a noodle bowl that he bought in the store. However, he also mixed in what turned out to be old pickled radish from a pouch - the rotten smell prompted a toss to the garbage pail. It had ruined the whole meal and Andy had to make another. Sometimes experiments don’t work out, but Andy continued  to be quite adventurous. 

We played with Zhen on the bed for a while. We saw that Zhen is developing daily. When we first got her, she couldn’t sit up by herself. Now she is sitting by herself most of the time, and is much better at turning over by herself, back to front. She has the habit of sucking on the middle two fingers of her right hand, with the outside fingers splayed out. It is interesting that one of the other babies, Sara, has the same habit, only with the two middle fingers reversed, upside down. Both look pretty awkward, but – whatever works.
Other than this, Zhen never puts anything in her mouth, even when encouraged. When fed a bottle, she does not try to hold it, completely splaying out her hands to each side. In the orphanage the “Michelin” suits that they wore all the time (no heat) would discourage bringing hands together, or to the mouth. This would also discourage the development of finger and hand dexterity, and  Zhen was behind in this. 

After a nap, we went for a first swim in the pool. The hotel had a spectacular pool, with a waterfall into a raised shallow pool, spilling over into the main pool. Andy and Zhen climbed up to the little pool. No objections from Zhen about the cool water – she took in everything with curiosity. Sitting on Andy’s lap, she learned how to splash with her hands and kick water with her feet, with great laughter. (See QuickTime video here). She enjoyed feeling the waterfall.

Came back to the room – and for the first time, Zhen was crying and yelling a lot. At first we thought it was her first tooth coming through, but later decided that she was still constipated. What misery (for Zhen too)! After more complaining, Zhen worked out the problem herself (so to speak), and was back to her happy self again. 

For variety, we went out for an Italian meal. It was a nice change, but relatively expensive ($16 CDN each). On the way back, we took in the neon lights, traffic, pedestrians, and the nighttime hustle of a large city on a beautiful cool evening. After a little play in the room, Andy and Zhen fell asleep. After preparing a few bottles, I was not far behind. 


Day 5 – Fri. Feb. 27

Zhen had a hard night (so to speak). She was up for 2 hours from 12 a.m. to 2 a.m., crying and screaming. She was really uncomfortable, and nothing Andy could do would help. She finally went to sleep, but was awake at 5 a.m. I gave her a bottle, rocked her, tried to get her to sleep, but no dice. We read and played until Andy woke up (good thing we were both there to spell each other), then watched another smoggy sunrise. All the tired parents and babies gathered again for breakfast, then waited for each other in the lobby. 

We were off to get passport photos for the little ones. A nice walk from the hotel. We passed many cyclists on their way to work, some taking time to wave and smile. To get to the photo shop we went through a parking garage – a garage for bicycles! Row upon row of bicycles and motorbikes were parked there, on two stories. To get to the upper story, there was a long ramp, and the patrons would push their bikes up. Samantha had lots of fun running up and down the ramp, and Andy went up to get some pictures. 

At the front of the garage there was a guard. He was shy, and did not want his picture taken, but Andy soon engaged him in conversation. He spoke reasonably good English, and was eager to learn new words and idioms, and wanted us to help polish his pronunciation. He was attending night school to get his business degree. He proudly informed us that all his spare time was spent watching English lessons on the T.V. (“Not like others, who waste their time playing Ma Jong”, he told us). He had grand ambitions to have his own business conglomerate.   

In China we did find a lot of ambition. All the young people we spoke to were attending part time classes while they worked, and all were studying English. For Example, the bellboy on the door at our hotel was studying tourism and Hotel Science at Nanjing University, and would go into the hotel business. We saw the 24-hour English lessons on the hotel T.V. Not only is English taught, but at the same time the culture of the English world is taught. Lessons that we saw included western line dancing, and a baseball game, with all the terminology, rules, and jargon. 

Overall, there is a sense of optimism in China – economic development is happening, the entrepreneurial sprit is encouraged, and the young have hope for a better life. Indeed, television and the Internet are opening eyes to the possibilities of the Western style of life. We were often asked about conditions in Canada, and often cards were handed over, hoping for Western business connections. We had some good conversations with Nina’s Chinese business partner Ivan, who joined us for several meals in Beijing. He spends part of the time in Shanghai, part in Canada with the company Nina works for. 

After the photos were taken, we went on an adventure on our own, without Cherry for a change. Our guide was Andrea, who had been to the Confucius Temple recently. We were warned that it was tacky, and we were not disappointed. The whole area around was set up for tourists, with stores, booths, and restaurants lining the streets. I bargained for some mask bookmarks. I brought the price down to $3.00 CDN, probably too much, but he did start at $8.00. We collected great crowds wherever we went – I counted more than thirty crowded around Andrea at one point. It is getting to be a nuisance. I’m glad I brought my explanatory card, which seemed to satisfy the curiosity. I had to hold onto it tightly when several tried to pull it out of my hand. 

The main attraction, the Confucius Temple was quite hard to find amongst all the shops and tourist glitter. We finally found our way, and as we entered, we were confronted by an enormous neon inflated archway covering the view of the interior entrance to the temple. There were toy monkeys perched on it, and we had no idea what the celebration or festival was. We enjoyed seeing some of the exhibits (such as ancient instruments), but the crude figures of the history of China left a lot to be desired. 

On the way back, we entered a cafeteria for lunch. We figured out that we had to buy tickets first, then hand them over at each counter where we wanted food. At some counters they would give us “change”, different colored tickets presumably worth less. We chose noodles, dumplings, jell cake, soup, and tea. Andrea knew that the counter just outside the door had great dumplings, so we asked the manager, who was leading us to each kind of food, about getting some. He led us out the door to get some, and it was only when we had to hand over cash that we discovered that the stand wasn’t part of the cafeteria, but the manager had kindly helped us get what we wanted. I had a handful of tickets left, and I decided to approach the cashier with them. She cashed them in without a glance. 

After the long walk, and sorting through many stores of clothing, cheap watches, and low priced computer games and movie DVDs, we jumped into a taxi at the edge of the area. It was quite a harrowing ride back, narrowly missing a pedestrian, and driving within inches of other cars. When we were stuck in traffic, I had the driver laughing by wiggling my hands as if to indicate that he should drive in and out of the cars lined up before us. At one junction, we were trying to get through, a car was turning left in front of us, and another was forcing its way in from a side street on the right. After we were through, the driver again laughed as I held up my hands with interlaced fingers. The others in our party arrived well before us – their driver had taken all back streets, which were very narrow, and at times difficult to scrape through. The cost for our 20-minute drive was only the equivalent of $1.20 CDN!

Cherry led us to another fine supper. An interesting dish was the soft dough shell circles filled with broth. We were supposed to bring the bowl up, take a nip from the side, and sip out the broth. Not many of us managed this feat. We celebrated Emily’s birthday a day early, because we knew we would be on the road travelling to Beijing tomorrow. A cake was arranged, and it arrived after our food, with Happy Birthday on a little heart, in Chinese. We sang a loud Happy Birthday, much to the amusement of the other guests. The restaurant had no Western cutlery available, but they did bring us some little tiny plastic cocktail forks, which readily broke. We did our best with chopsticks. Emily didn’t know quite what was going on, and was not too sure about all the noise and attention. Ralph and Linda opened presents for her, mostly bought in China, and I am sure she will value these in the future. 

Back in the room, we celebrated that Zhen had solved her constipation problem. Zhen is much happier, but very tired – she is so curious about everything and fights sleep all day.  We are hoping for a better night’s sleep, because we are up early to pack, and to head off to the airport for the flight to Beijing. We found that Zhen enjoyed sitting in the bamboo laundry basket and spent time looking around. This gave us a little down time, and some hands free time to prepare for tomorrow. When Zhen was put down in her crib, she fell asleep right away, no complaints. Andy uploaded the last batch of Nanjing pictures, and we packed a little. We hope we have a good Internet connection in the next hotel to continue to send pictures for viewing. 


Day 6 – Sat. Feb. 29

A better night last night – Zhen up once for a bottle, right back to sleep. Up before 6 to do the final packing for the trip to Beijing, and get Zhen ready. We went down to the restaurant for our last Nanjing breakfast, with most of our group. Onto the bus, and off to the airport in good time. However, the bus driver took us to the wrong terminal. By this time there was a lot of traffic, and we took some time to get to the proper check-in. Cherry was great, sticking with us all the way. The bags were weighed as a group, and although we were a little over limit, they did not charge us extra. This was a surprise. Although most of us held off major shopping because of weight limits, most were well over weight. However, Cherry only had a light bag, and they counted Samantha as one person, so we were near the limit. 

We marched down the terminal as best we could for quite a distance. When we arrived at the gate, we found that most of the plane had boarded and the announcer was giving an urgent final last call. When we strode up to the gate I was getting frantic. I ran to the ticket counter, and realized that Andy was no longer behind me! Andy, remaining true to his relaxed, casual and friendly nature, had become engaged with another Canadian traveler who stopped him for a long conversation about everything from B.C. rain to fishing in Newfoundland. It was all I could do remain calm, and (nicely) prod Andy and Zhen to get going. We were the last to board, but we made it!

Zhen and all the babies were great on their first flight ever. No crying or fussing. Zhen is so happy – she responded to other passengers, and they back to her, with smiles. If hungry or tired or wet, give her something interesting to see or do, and she is in rapt attention. No ear trouble, with a bottle on the way up, and half asleep on the way down. In between, she enjoyed seeing the pictures in magazines, scrabbling her hand on pictures of faces, and tilting her head, as if trying to figure out the difference from the real thing. 

We had a snack on the way, a package of “Nutlets”, and on the back it stated that it had “The Power Of Five Spiccs”. We landed without incident, and found our way through the Beijing airport to the bus, again with the help of Cherry. A 1-½ hour bus ride took us to our next hotel, the Jianguo in Beijing. What a great bunch of babies – they took it all in stride. 

Some confusion at the check in was soon resolved (again thank goodness for Cherry). While waiting in the crowded lobby we met other groups that were adopting babies – 4 couples from Denmark, 2 from England, and ten couples from Quebec, all in the same hotel. The ones from Denmark told us that they only had to spend a few days in China with the adoption process, compared to our two weeks. 

Beijing is quite different from Nanjing. It is being modernized from the center out, with wide ring roads. Old (and ancient) neighborhoods are being torn down, and replaced with lots of steel glass and chrome buildings. In the last 5 years, 80% of the buildings in central Beijing are new! We were surprised that there are hardly any bicycles on the roads. This was not the case just 5 years ago. Now, many can afford cars, and many use the government or private buses to get to work. Another factor is that much of the central population has been forcefully relocated to the suburbs, at a great distance, making commuting by bicycle difficult. 

They told us that we would feel spoiled in the Nanjing hotel in comparison to the Beijing one, and they were right. Some of the rooms were not clean, and generally it was much smaller and crowded. The staff, with a few welcome exceptions, was not as friendly and much less helpful. Buses were allowed to idle outside the restaurant, filling it with fumes. This was corrected after we complained. The food was generally OK, but the variety was not as wide. Much of the food was not out early enough for us, and when some stations ran out, there were no refills. It was poorly planned (bread and buns in a corner where only one person could get in at a time). On the other hand, Andy and I had little to complain about – we just enjoyed being there with our new little one. 

We went out with the group for a “hot pot” Chinese dinner. “How To” help was provided by Cherry, as well as by Nina, whose parents are Chinese (from Vietnam), Claude, and Nina’s co-worker from China, Ivan. We were served raw veggies, tofu, pork, thin slices of beef, dumplings, fish balls, and small chicken chunks. We speared each piece, and dipped it into the boiling broth in the hot pot embedded in the middle of the table. Great new tastes. Some had a split hot pot, with mild broth on one side, spicy broth on the other. Zhen sat in her first high chair, and entertained everyone with her squeals of delight at the food. The waitresses were quite taken with the babies, and our waitress was quite delighted to receive a Canadian “Year of the Monkey” stamp from us. 

As in Nanjing, there were underpasses to get from one side of the street to the other. To do this, we had to cross a bike/taxi lane first – and they have the right of way it seems. We went across as a bunch, and one taxi was forced to stop for us. The streets were very wide, about 14 lanes across in total, and always filled with traffic.

Back in our room, it hit home that this hotel is not as high class as our previous one. We were used to the luxury of the Jinling Hotel in Nanjing. The Beijing Jianguo is adequate, more on the status of a Days Inn, rather than the Park Plaza. We hear clunking noises from taps in other rooms, footsteps from above, and traffic noises from the balcony. It may not matter, since we will all hopefully zonk out for the night after such a busy day. 

Andy read Zhen her new book “I Love You Like Crazy Cakes”. She loved it and wanted to turn the pages. I taped it for the future! She soon fell asleep with Andy on the bed.

 
Day 7 – Sunday, Feb. 29th

Zhen was up at 12:30 a.m. for a bottle as usual, but we all went right back to sleep. She woke up at 4:30, so Andy put her back down to sleep beside him. We all woke at 6:45 a.m. and headed down for breakfast. There were too many people, not enough tables, and the staff was harried. There was a back room where they tried to put all the baby families, but it was full. Instead of waiting to be seated, we just pulled up some chairs to a table with others of our group. The buffet table was crowded and food ran out. We must come down earlier. We chatted with some of the parents from the other adoption groups. Cherry’s husband and son joined us for a while (she lives in a Beijing suburb). Also joining us was Andrea’s mother Marnie, who had been in China for several weeks.. Andrea, Phoebe, and her mother stayed in China for several days more, after our group had left for Canada. 

We eagerly jumped into the bus for the day’s adventures. Our first stop was the Freshwater Pearl Factory. Here we saw a video, then a live demonstration. Very large triangular oysters were fished out of a tank, and one opened in front of us. We were asked to guess how many pearls it contained – guesses ranged from four to twelve. When opened, there were over 20! After the demonstrator quietly took out a few of the larger ones, we were each given a little pearl, fresh from the source. 

At the next table, we saw pearls being sorted by size, shape, and color. Next, a small machine drilled a hole, and the pearls were strung. Quite a few necklaces were for sale, including beautiful black pearls, at prices a lot lower than the adjoining retail outlet. 

The sales center was huge. It had many sales clerks in green uniforms standing around. We walked around, and as soon as we even glanced at an item the sales clerks were all over us: “You like this!”,  “Who is it for?”,  ” What size she is?”,  “You like two?”, “Let me wrap for you”, “Here is another color/size/shape”, “I have more here”, “Buy this and have a bonus” etc. etc. Even a “no” results in other merchandise being pulled out, and other alternatives being discussed. It is likely that the clerks are paid very little, and rely on commissions. 

 The first sales clerk that latched onto me followed me down the counters and out into the aisles. Any glance or indication of interest resulted in a barrage of comments and inducements. I finally had to tell her (nicely) to please keep quiet, not shove stuff at me, and let me browse on my own. She respectfully kept silent, but continued to follow, 3 or 4 paces back. When I was really interested, she was very helpful, rather than pushy, and found me the right earrings for Doris. I also asked about a single black pearl necklace on a fine, simple chain, which she found, and she made another sale. I was impressed that she could adapt to my way of shopping, and so made two sales. I asked for a “discount” (often a preliminary to bargaining). She said no, but gave me a bonus to seal the sale – a nice black pearl set in a so-so ring setting. Doris will be pleased with her matching earrings, necklace, and ring. 

For our second stop, we arrived at the Great Wall of China!! What a sight! As we approached in the bus, we could see the Wall snaking its way through the surrounding hills. We disembarked at the terminal, got the babies ready, and began climbing. The first  section of the wall, which was relatively flat and wide, was called  the “Seven Horse Span”. Then the steeper climb started, and as I went quickly up the first few stairs, I had a stumble. I thought I was finished for the climb, with a slightly twisted ankle, and bleeding from a cut on my shin. I had not noticed that the stairs unexpectedly were each of a different height! I sat and recovered for a few minutes, and then I was off again, up the stairs. I’m glad I have been keeping in good shape (for the age of 64), and the climb was relatively easy. 

We learned that the final wall was built in a ten year span, joining many sections that had been built previously. The wall was never intended to keep invaders out – it is too long to maintain defenses. Instead, a series of signal towers would communicate when an invading force came into China. Forces would be mobilized, and the invaders would be caught on their way out. 

As we climbed, the stairway got narrower and narrower. We stopped frequently to enjoy the view and take pictures. Towers provided another stop. Andy was carrying quite a load, as was Ralph, but the three of us, plus 2 babies made it very near the top. We realized that there really wasn’t any “top”, but the wall continued to go up and down hills as far as we could see. After a few more pictures, we headed down. This was just as strenuous as going up, using muscles that ordinarily do not get much play. I found a small piece of stone on the steps that had fallen from the Wall, which I kept for Zhen’s journal. The view was awesome, and can only be appreciated through pictures. 

See More Day 7 Pictures Here

We passed a wide variety of tourists on the way. Overweight ones were edging their way sideways, step by careful step. Teens gleefully ran up and down the steepest parts past the old fogies. Again most of the tourists were well dressed, but the women in high heels seemed to have some difficulty. Most of our group managed to go part way up, and all were quite awed by the experience.

On the way up, Andy had bargained at a tourist stand with a rather sour, officious lady. He finally got a good deal – a ”Wall” hat and shirt for the equivalent of $5.00 CDN. On the way down I tried to bargain for the same deal, but she would have nothing to do with it, grabbing the hat that I had pulled out, and shoving it back in the line of hats (and saying “Government Shop”). As she walked away, I finally offered $4.50 for the shirt, and she offhandedly agreed, grabbing my money, and turning her back. It was then I noticed that there was some kind of uniformed government official standing by the side, who may be watching the prices. Another factor may have been that there were many more tourists around, who could have expected the same bargain if I got it for a low price. 

Our next stop was at the Cloisonné factory. Upstairs was a huge restaurant, which could have been a cheap tourist-trap kind of place. However, it was one of the best meals we have had. The setting was lavish, with upholstered chairs and linen tablecloths. Food was brought to the table and placed on a lazy susan, which we rotated when hungry. Many dishes arrived, some of which we had not tried before. 

We toured the main floor of the factory, and were allowed in the working area to take pictures. Such fine work, starting with the hammered copper base, then on to many tables of workers applying the copper and brass lines and borders. Enamel of many colors was applied with fine brushes and pinpoint sticks, then on to be fired in the kiln. 

In the retail area we saw acres of the finished product, in all its beauty. Items of all sizes were available, from the smallest thimble, to man-sized urns. Again, sales clerks were plentiful, but did not pester us as much. I bought a set of chopsticks in a beautiful holder, and a Christmas bell. Andy bought a vase to display in his household. 

The factory was in a rural area. On our way out, we saw some construction that was for the 2008 Olympics, with advertising billboards. Behind the factory was a logging operation, with logs from the nearby mountainside. 

Back to our hotel. I discussed with the customer representative the attitude of the staff behind the counter. The lady at the money exchange counter had been quite disdainful, and seemed to resent being interrupted from her newspaper reading. A clerk at the main counter was very impatient with me when I asked how much per minute a phone call to Canada cost. I had some difficulty understanding her, and when I asked for a repeat, she scribbled down something on a paper – a few Chinese symbols, and some numbers that looked like 18. I said that 18 Yuan was a lot, was she sure, and she said very loudly at me at me “eight – eight – eight”. The customer rep got their names, and said she would correct the situation. I hope they still have jobs. I also complimented several staff who were friendly and helpful. For example, when our electronic room key would not work (very late in the evening), a young man (“Jonny”) left the desk, and quickly came up to the room with the re-keyed card to make sure it worked. 

Zhen continues to be such a great gal. She is always happy, laughing, and in good spirits. She loves looking at pictures of people. T.V. is fascinating to her, and she loves watching soccer and music videos. She enjoys the entertainment report, and she laughs every time Nicole Kidman comes on screen. At meal times, she still laughs and shouts out for her food with such enthusiasm. She is now putting her hand on her bottle, and is trying to pull it towards her. Sitting up is much easier, and she is much more stable. She seems to learn new things very fast. What a happy little sweetheart. 

We all are going to bed early tonight – we have to be up early (5 a.m.) to go to the clinic for Zhen’s medical. 


Day 8 – Monday March 1

Up at 5 a.m. for an early breakfast, and I saw Andy and Zhen off to the Canadian Embassy Medical Clinic for the medical exam for the kids to enter Canada. Everything was fine with Zhen, but she is almost a month behind in her motor development, as seen in her motor (finger) dexterity, and stability sitting up. The U.S. standards were used, so we are not sure about her development compared to Chinese standards. However, she does seem to us to be a little behind in those areas, but rapidly catching up. Her weight was a little over the average (no kidding!), while height was a little under. Andy got back around 11 a.m., before I expected him. I had just had a nap, and was preparing to go over to the department store on my own. We fed Zhen, and put her down for a one-hour nap. 

In the afternoon, a bunch of us went to the famous (infamous?) Silk Market, which was just a block away from the hotel. It is an ancient market place, originally specializing in rare silks for international trade. We were told that this is marked for demolition, to develop the “new China” (and because the “narrow alley is a fire hazard”), so this may be one of the last chances to experience this ancient trade institution. Today it specializes in cheap “knockoffs”, Rolex watches, “brand” name luggage and coats, cashmere and silk scarves and garments, fake cloisonné, DVD copies of recent movies ($2.50 CDN!), computer game copies, Gortex coats and gloves, boots and shoes, etc. 

The main area was a narrow alley with shops lining the walls. As we walked down, the vendors would call out in English, trying to get our attention. Most of the vendors were nice looking young girls and women. As in the shops we were in before, if you show a little interest, you get a barrage of sales pitches. As I walked, hands would grab at my sleeves and coat, trying to pull me in. I kept saying “Bu” (No) and “Bu Yao” (Don’t Want), to no avail. When I brushed off one of them, she gave me a whop on the shoulder, and said loudly “Why?”. I talked for a few minutes with one vendor about silk and angora wool. I finally said that I did not want to buy anything, and I would like to see what else was in the market before walking back and looking again. Later, I walked by (on the other side of the alley), and she tried to call me over. She was most insulted that I didn’t come over to buy something, saying “you promised”. 

We had developed our bargaining skills with a few other vendors, but this market was quite a few notches up the ladder. Andrea and Nina helped us – they had bargained in China before. Nina had the technique of quickly setting her top price, and not budging from it, just saying “No”, and repeating her price. She had quite a few vendors annoyed with her, but she often got her price. Andy and I decided to take time to “play the game”. The vendor would start at a ridiculously high price, and we would counter with a ridiculously low price. We would all laugh at these prices, chat a bit, then each would come down or up a bit. We would say “no, too expensive”, and they would counter with “no, no profit”. We would look at other items in the shop, then perhaps come back to the first item, offering something a little higher. We then might joke a bit (when bargaining for “Rolex” watches, in the middle of the process I pointed to my watch, then to all of theirs, saying with a smile – “no good, not the same time” –everyone had a good laugh). This establishing relationships was very important to the Chinese, and might result in a better price eventually (or not). The process did take a lot of time, and a lot of feigning such as pretending to walk away. We did have several vendors call us back after we were a few booths down, accepting our price (and the vendors down the way trying to push us back). 

Andy bought quite a few items there. I bought a set of pseudo Cloisonné chopsticks (for 1/5th of the real factory price), and it required close inspection to tell the difference from the real thing. I was helped by Nina to buy several sets of tablecloth runners and chopstick sets as gifts. Nina had bought some there previously for a good price, and she just insisted that we get the same price, always saying “no” to their price. Andy and Claude had fun bargaining for “Rolex” watches ($9.60 CDN each – we found later we could get them for about $3.50). Although they ran well throughout the trip, the three little dials on the face only had hands painted on. Andy bought DVDs,  some dresses for Téa and Zhen, and Game Boy cartridges for Bailey.

We walked around the area. We came across an artist who was painting with water on the pavement. His sketches and symbols would evaporate after about an hour. Farther on, another crowd had collected around a uniformed official supervising painters. They were painting (with real paint this time) a large circle with a red line through it, on the pavement of the market area. This turned out to be a large “No Smoking” sign. Contrary to Canada, smoking is allowed in many indoor places (not restaurants), but is now being discouraged outdoors. Even though we were on the lookout for pickpockets, none materialized. 

Although Zhen was tired during the expedition, she was so fascinated by it all that she kept shaking her head to keep awake and not miss a thing. We went back to the room, and Zhen fell asleep instantly. Andy went off by himself to find a large toy store that was said to be in a nearby shopping area. He came back with some McDonald’s fish burgers for supper in the room. 

After supper, most of the group (with Cherry in the lead) went to see the “Acrobats of China” show. The theatre was nearly empty, and we had our choice of seats. Most of our group went up high in the theatre, but we decided to stay down in the 4th row. 

Zhen enjoyed the show immensely, sitting up straight in Andy’s lap, and commenting out loud on the acts she liked. It was a great show, with lots of color, beautiful costumes, and very talented acrobats. The athletic young men certainly took risks jumping, rolling and tumbling, and the young girl contortionists were unbelievable. A highlight was when 10 girls all piled on one bicycle and circled the stage (they were always in motion, and although I tried to get pictures, they were blurred). 

Back in the room at 10 p.m., Zhen refused to go to sleep – probably too many acrobats tumbling in her head. Although Andy had to work on the computer tonight (a long distance work proposal), he first went to the grocery store to get supplies. The store was a bit of a hike down the street, and unfortunately, it was closed. When he returned, he went down to the business center to do the computer work while I put Zhen to bed. First he is going to upload the pictures to the photoalbum (the first time since Nanjing), then do his proposal. What a workhorse. 

Andy has such energy, and is such a great Dad. He takes everything in stride, and is so calm, relaxed, and happy. He is quite self sufficient – even claims that it is better not to have help putting on his very heavy backpack, and putting Zhen in her Baby Trekker. He is adept at changing, feeding and cuddling. He sings her to sleep, plays and laughs with her, reads to her, baths her, dresses her – sometimes I wonder what did I come along for? I manage to pry Zhen away from Andy sometimes, so we can have some time together, but he and Zhen are certainly bonding, from hour one! I am happy to provide a supporting role, sharing getting up in the night with her, giving Andy some day time off to himself, and washing and preparing bottles and food, washing clothes, getting groceries, and watching the clock for our deadlines.

Day 9 – Tuesday March 2, 2004

After breakfast, I headed down the street to the grocery store. It was in the underground mall of a classy complex of buildings. The mall stretched forever, and I could walk it for blocks. This was at 8:15 am, and I found that the store was closed and shuttered. I pantomimed with a guard at the information booth, and found (by pointing to my watch and the store) that it did not open until 9. We would be on the road by then. I hiked back (a 10 minute walk), and we borrowed some diapers from Nina and Claude. They were quite generous with anything we might need. 

We hopped on the bus for the trip to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Quite awesome, especially with its recent history. We walked the square, passing Mao’s Mausoleum, the Monument to the People’s Heroes, Museum of the Revolution, Museum of Chinese History, and The Great Hall of the People (Home To the National People’s Congress). It was lucky that we went this day, because we saw that, over the next few days, parts were roped off as the limos began arriving for the current People’s Congress. A large part was closed during the Congress, which began before we departed from China. 

Read More About Tiananmen Square and the 1989 Protest Here

 We collected more well-wishers, and we ambled towards the far end of the square. Here we found the actual Tiananmen, the Gate of Heavenly Peace, or the entrance to the Forbidden City. We gathered together and Cherry gave us an introduction to the Forbidden City. Lying at the center of Beijing, the Forbidden City, called Gu Gong  in Chinese, was the Imperial Palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Now known as the Palace Museum, it is to the north of Tiananmen Square. Rectangular in shape, it is the world's largest palace complex and covers 74 hectares. Surrounded by a six meter deep moat and a ten meter high wall are 9,999 buildings.

We headed on in through the crowded tunnel, and the first courtyard of the complex opened up for us. We wandered about, following our noses, and saw magnificent architecture, many buildings with rooms of ancient art and artifacts, stone and bronze carvings, and wide plazas. The emperor’s private gardens were quite ornate. Featured were huge natural stone statues surrounded by trees with the first blossoms of spring. 

We tried to keep up with the group, and it helped to see Ralph and Randy’s heads above the crowds. However, we soon lost the group. Bob said that he thought that they were well ahead, so we forged on. Soon we found ourselves out the far gate, looking for Cherry and our bus. Nowhere in sight. We could not get back in, because Cherry had our tickets. As we wandered about, looking lost, a middle aged Chinese gentleman approached us. We were wary (from previous experience). We chatted, then explained that we had lost our guide. He asked if she carried a cell phone, and if we had the number (she did, Andy had). He offered to call her on his cell phone, no charge. We talked to her, and it turned out that she was about one hour behind us! We could have spent a lot more time exploring the different buildings. The gentleman with the phone wouldn’t take anything for the call. He later gave us his card – he was a tour guide who spoke very good English, and told us that if we came back to China (or knew anyone who is coming), that he was available. Very low key and polite (not like some that we met who were quite pushy and insistent). 

The wind was quite cold, so we headed for the shelter of the washroom. There was a nice entrance room, with hanging plastic strips to keep in the warmth. Inside were a little gift shop, a couch and chairs, and two women attendants. They took to Zhen immediately, and played with her, while Andy and I took turns standing by the exit of the City waiting for Cherry. Bob showed up after about 20 minutes, and we waited together. Cherry and the group arrived after about ¾ of an hour, and we all headed for the bus (which was parked on a side street –we never would have found it). 

After a nice lunch out and a tour of a carpet factory and gift shop (Andy bought some Jade for Zhen), we headed back to the hotel. On the way, Samantha decided to entertain us on the bus, and she commandeered the microphone. After a lot of comments on the trip, she spent some time giving us each nicknames (I was “Grampa”). 

While Andy and Zhen had a late afternoon nap, I went down the street to the grocery store, hoping it would still be open. It was. Before I bought, I explored a bit. The area of the underground mall beyond the store that was walled off this morning was now open. As I started walking, I noticed that most of the stores carried luxury items, mostly geared towards women. High fashion clothing, jewellery, furs, watches, boots and shoes, accessories, travel goods, and specialty foods all had separate stores. Shoppers were extremely well dressed. I walked for about 15 minutes, and saw no end to the mall. After I returned and bought supplies, I walked in the other direction down the mall, towards the hotel. As I took the escalator up to the street, I could again see the mall with its rows of luxury stores stretching as far as the eye could see. What a burgeoning commercial city (and lots of wealth around)!

One of the specialty shops that I stopped in was for Chinese tea. I had brought the name with me of the kind of tea that is produced in Jiangsu province, near where Zhen comes from. When I found it, the tea cost a fortune - $16 CDN for a little 50 gram box! Decided not to get it, but found some nice gift boxes containing 4 different kinds of tea in the grocery store. 

We decided to have an “alternate” supper on our own, and headed for McDonald’s. It looked like any North American outlet, same signs, Ronald McDonald in evidence, same burgers etc. Andy noticed a lineup inside – it was a line to apply for jobs at McDonalds – and each person was forking over a fee for applying!! We took pictures of the counter and the lineup, and all of a sudden, there was screeching and waving from behind the counter. A very stern looking matron descended upon us, and wildly gestured us to leave. If we hadn’t moved out promptly, I am sure she would have moved us out herself. We headed for KFC, and had some fried chicken and fries. 

A cool walk down the glass, steel, and neon main street brought us back to our hotel for the end of another great day. Zhen was tired, but ate a lot, lunging at the spoon and shouting out with glee. She had a bath, and loves splashing in the water. As I put her down to sleep, Andy was off to the business center to upload pictures. 


Day 10 – Wed. March 3, 2004

Andy reported that the evening Internet connection in the business centre was quite poor – expensive, slow, and the connection kept dropping. The doorman had told Andy that it would be better to go to the local Internet Café, “Where the real people go”. Since this was “over three blocks, and down at the end of an alley”, and we could only do this at night, we were stuck with the business centre in the hotel.   Andy had spent quite a bit of time trying to upload pictures to the photoalbum (until 1:30 a.m.), and was finally successful. However, the bill was about $45. When Claude heard about this, he took up a collection to help with the cost! What a great group. We only have 2 ½ days left together.

After an early morning breakfast in the buffet (we are now getting the timing down right), we headed for the Imperial Summer Palace. This time, we stuck with Cherry, and she gave us a great tour, at the same time as allowing us to stop and see what we wanted. There were many rooms filled with artifacts, beautiful architecture, an ornate walkway along the man-made lake, and an amazing boat made from white marble. A Buddhist Temple was built on a man-made hill in the centre of the huge complex, and we were given the option to climb up there (we did, kids and all). The view was fantastic, including hills in the background with the Great Wall snaking along them. 

More About Summer Palace Here

Zhen remained being a great traveler. The day was cold, about 3 degrees Celsius, with a stiff wind, but sunny. Andy bundled up Zhen with a scarf kindly lent by Nina, a warm outfit and hat, a blanket over the lower part, and under Andy’s jacket lining. She took everything in without complaint, eating a lot, fighting sleep and winning most of the time. We still gather crowds wherever we go. Andy still enjoys it, but it is bothering some. A large tour group went by, and they all burst out with good-natured laughter – we are not sure why, but it seems to be just delight. Generally we continue to be a strange parade, particularly now when there are hardly any Caucasian tourists around. 

Cherry waited for us at the exit gate. She had warned us of the pickpockets outside the exit, and she tried to escort us out. However, there were too many of us, and I got isolated from the group. Suddenly, the vendors were all around me, pushing, poking, shoving, pressing against me on all sides. I was prepared for the odd pickpocket, one bumping into me perhaps while I was distracted, but I was not prepared for this onslaught. I walked quickly, saying “Bu Yao” (Don’t Want), but of course this made no difference. The bolts of cloth, magazines, and small trays of watches were all a cover to slip a hand underneath to probe pouches, pockets, backpacks, and everywhere else. I slapped away pressure on my right pocket, and I used my “step on toes” to the left, until I was actually kicking out to keep them away. 

I was finally through to the bus, I thought successfully. I checked my pockets, and found that my little notebook from my right pocket was missing. Luckily there was nothing important in it, just some phone numbers, addresses, and day-to-day info and directions. However, unfortunately Zhen’s nanny had written her name in it. Gone forever. I checked the closed zipper on my jacket, left side, where I had “secured” my wallet. The zipper was half down – I guess my kicks saved me. One of our group was not so lucky, and did have her wallet lifted. Luckily the bus driver saw this, and demanded it back. Andy, smart as he is, pretended to be taking pictures of them all, and they left him alone. He did get some pictures, including one of the guys who got the wallet. As we watched from the bus back window, a police car drove by on its way to somewhere else. All the vendors melted into the nearby buildings, then slowly emerged for the next group of tourists. We watched as one Chinese women tourist vigorously pushed the vendors away. Lesson learned. 

I was lucky, and should have had my wallet in a pack under my clothing, (which is where I do keep spare money, passport, and papers). I was shaken, but relieved. By the time we got to lunch, I was still shaking. Not having eaten for 5 ½ hours didn’t help. 

This was our big Beijing meal – in spite of the rumors of avian flu, we could not pass up a meal of the famous Peking Duck. The restaurant was fancy, pink tablecloths, matching upholstered chairs, Oriental decorating. We had a room to ourselves. The chef was supposed to carve and prepare the Duck beside the tables, but we were so crowded in that he had to do it in the doorway. Slices of dark meat with a layer of fat attached were laid out. Bowls of hosein sauce, cucumbers, shallots, and a soy paste were placed on the table. Cherry showed us how to wrap the duck slices in a thin crepe with the ingredients, then nibble away. Delicious. I was still shaking, and for the first time used a fork for a while. After a bit of food in me, I was back to chopsticks once again (during the whole trip, both Andy and I carried a great little travel set of knife, fork, and spoon, but never had to use it). The rest of the meal was great, again lots of different taste treats. 

Read More About Peking Duck Here

We were back to the hotel for an afternoon nap (for Zhen). Andy showed her the video prepared by Julie and the kids just for Zhen. Even though tired and hungry, she was fascinated, watched it with rapt attention, and commented on it vocally quite often. Sleep was easy for her after that. 

In the afternoon we got Cherry to write out directions to a shopping area where we could get toys. We got a taxi with Nina and Claude, and arrived at a wide street closed to traffic. Apparently this was an ancient retail area, but now all the buildings were brand new. As we walked the street trying to find the toy store, we were accosted by a young man who wanted us to come to his shop. We asked where the toy store was, and he said he would take us, but still wanted us to come to his shop. Being polite, we said maybe later. He pointed us down the street. Later, when we walked back, he latched on to us again. We finally said we were not interested, and he was most insulted. He called us a few Chinese names, then in English “Liars – you said you would come back” etc. We are learning to be blunt in the first place (rather than fit in to the “roundabout” way of saving face and speaking indirectly that we expected). China is changing, particularly in the large cities. 

The toy store (we finally found it) was large, with many floors. We were quite disappointed with the selection, which was not much different from what we could get back home. Quite prominent was the Disney line of toys and clothing (we also saw this in many department stores). There were many action figures based on American themes, and many dolls. It was interesting that none of the dolls was oriental, and all were Caucasian! We saw the same in many department stores, where all the mannequins and many of the billboard models were Caucasian. The prices were not low, nor on a par with other goods in China. Some prices were similar to what we would pay in Canada. 

Andy bought some toys and clothes for his kids, and I bought some small presents for his kids, and Maxim (my 6 yr. old next door neighbor). I had not seen the bouncing balls before that play a different tune each time you bounce them. As we walked back along the street, we were tempted to go down a narrow lane with many food stalls. As we approached it, the stench was overwhelming, and we decided to pass. 

We walked to the traffic end of the street to grab a taxi. We saw one that was up on the sidewalk, with someone just getting out. As we were heading for it, we saw that it was Andrea, Terry, and Andrea. They were glad to see us, because they were trying to get back to the hotel, but the driver kept shaking his head at the address on the hotel card given to him. They asked if we could help. We looked at the card, and realized it was the card from the Nanjing Hotel! That would have been a long ride. I had an extra card for our Beijing Jianguo Hotel, and when I gave it to the driver, he looked relieved –  he could get there from here!

We waited for anther taxi, and one soon materialized, driving up on the sidewalk for us. He turned around on the wide sidewalk, and drove along it for about a block, scattering pedestrians, until we could get on the street again. Quite a ride through rush hour traffic. We had time to look at all the modern buildings, the huge traffic blocked streets, and all the construction happening. There is quite an acceleration of construction due to the 2008 Olympics looming. Beijing is laid out with ring roads. The first is really a grid around Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. The second, third, fourth and fifth are multi-lane freeways. Our hotel was on the second, and I counted 14 lanes, including the bike lanes. Much to the concern of conservationists and historians, most of the old, narrow lane neighborhoods (Hutongs) are being torn down. 

Back to the hotel for a light supper in the room, some playing, and off to bed early. We want to make the best of our last full day in China, tomorrow. 

Day 11 – Thursday, March 4, 2004

Our last full day in China. We want to make the most of it. Zhen had been very tired last night, and spent some time crying and shouting until 10:30 p.m. We will have to up the prune quota – it won’t do if she is like this on the plane tomorrow. She was up at 12:30 a.m. for a bottle, and again at 4:30 a.m. Julie called at 6:30 a.m., our usual wake up time, and she and Andy had a good talk. 

We all headed off on the bus to visit an ancient neighborhood, known as a Hutong. These are small courtyards off small alleys. Surrounding the courtyard are dwellings. They are often attached together, and every square inch is used. The courtyard area is very small, and often 5 to 8 families occupy a Hutong. Usually these are either owned by the government, and in some cases private individuals, then rented out. The government is quickly taking over the Hutongs, requiring the residents to relocate in government apartments in the suburbs. In their place, new office and commercial development takes precedence. The property is quite valuable – to purchase an individual Hutong property would take two to three million dollars (US) we were told. 

On the way, we passed the world famous Beijing Shi Cha Hai International Sports School. People come from all over China, and in fact from all over the world, to live and train here. Champions have been produced in Judo, ping pong, gymnastics, Taekwando, badminton, boxing, and volleyball. 

Read More About the Shi Cha Hai Sports School Here

W e drove past many old areas to get to the Hutongs, down narrow roads and alleys. At many intersections, the local policeman had taken up residence, sitting on an orange crate, smoking, and talking with the locals. Suddenly we arrived at a row of Rickshaws, powered by bicycles. 

The driver carefully tucked us in with a blanket, and we were off. The bicycle was ancient, and so was the driver. He was in good shape though, and we made the trip OK. The bicycle had no gears, and to get going, he had to take a little run at it. If we slowed down for a corner on a slope, he had to get out and push. There was no hand brake, just a wire tied to the front frame running to the rear wheel. To stop, the driver would press his foot on this brake cable. With a bit of grinding, we always managed to stop in time. 

At our first stop, we toured a day care and kindergarten centre. As we went into the age 5 class, they burst out into song, singing the alphabet, and several other songs in English. After that, the teacher played the piano, and they all got up and wanted to dance with us and with each other. They were quite fascinated with the digital cameras, and wanted to see their pictures after we took them. The room was clean and bright, and there was good playground equipment in the courtyard. We were told that it cost about the equivalent of $16 CDN a month to send a child to this school. 



The trip took us down many small alleys and turns, past many entrances to Hutong courtyards. We saw fish drying, men playing games, and many other views of old buildings. As part of the tour we went into one Hutong, and were welcomed by one of the families. They were quite taken by the babies, and enjoyed playing with them.

We crammed into the small living room, and were given an outline by our Hutong tour guide. Even though crowded, they had very nice antiques (masks, carvings, ceramic vases etc.), and furnishings, including an ornate short bed that doubled as a seat. The two adjoining rooms were sparsely furnished bedrooms. The kitchen and bathroom were in another room across the courtyard, and the facilities were very basic. There was no sewer connection, and an ancient septic bed (near the adjoining river) was used. Tea was prepared and served in the main living room, and we had a chance to ask questions. The family (husband, wife, wife’s mother, no children at home) hoped to stay, but feared the government would be moving them on soon. They would be sorry to leave their neighborhood and the friends of a lifetime. 

We were taken to a local garden that was in the middle of the old neighborhood. It was an ancient emperor’s garden, now maintained by the government. Until recently the admission charge was too steep for most locals. It was large and ornate, with many natural rock formations. One feature was the bat cave, where bats still hang out, night and day. We bought a “Happiness Fan”. It was inscribed by the writings of the emperor (even though he could write, he never did – he just composed, and his scribes wrote it down). The central Chinese character means “happiness”, defined by a farm girl who has enough food and clothes. We had to be shown where the exit was – the only sign on it said “Woman”, with an international women’s washroom sign. We took a chance, and found that us guys could exit there too. 

During our morning travels, Zhen was a sweetheart, smiling at everyone, being calm about everything. Once she gave a cry for a few seconds, and our fellow travellers said that this was the first time they have ever heard her cry! She pays rapt attention to anything new – I think we have a very intelligent one here. 

I gave Andy the afternoon off to himself. Zhen really needed a rest and a quiet afternoon, and I also had a little nap. She slept solidly for an hour and a half, and woke up quite happy. 

We had dropped Andy off at the Tiananmen Square on the way back to the hotel. He had a great time, particularly in the National Museum. He was not allowed to take a picture of the wax display of Mao Tse Tung. The guard was particularly excited when another tourist jumped over the rope to put his arms around the wax Mao for a picture! 

Andy then walked over to the shopping area to pick up some more gifts and toys. He braved the subway ride back to the hotel area. The Silk market was near the hotel, so Andy went to buy a suitcase to haul back all our gifts. He had quite a bargaining experience. They started at 1200 yuan (about $192 CDN). Fortunately we knew how much suitcases went for in the nearby department store, about 300 yuan. Lots of talking, laughing, looking at other things, wandering off etc. At one point, Andy wanted to look inside the case, so they took off the safety strap, opened it up, demonstrating features etc. After much more back and forth, they agreed on a good price (200 yuan, about $32 CDN), and Andy brought back a good strong suitcase. It was only later that Andy realized that they never did put back on the safety strap! Oh well – good product, good price, Andy wins, and they win too. 

Out for a final supper with everyone. A great meal, lots of dishes, including duck. Waitresses were great with the kids, and our waitress spent some time with Zhen again (we had been here before). Zhen really shouted out with glee for her food, much to the delight of the others. We all went to sleep easily at 9 p.m. Tomorrow we pack and fly!



Day 12- March 5, 2004

The last full day in China – we can hardly believe it. The time has gone so fast, and we have done so much, seen so much. The big event, bringing home Zhen, is about to draw to a close. We are a strange combination of happy, exhilarated, weary and tired. 

We decided to sleep in a little (Zhen too), so we went off on our own to get some breakfast. Around the corner we found a modern looking fast food place. We went in, perused the menu on the wall, and our eyes glazed over. There were just a few pictures, so we stood for a while trying to see what others were ordering. Andy went up to the counter to see what he could do, and as soon as he arrived, they handed him a menu with pictures for each item. I wonder how they knew? We noticed that there was no rice on the morning menu, just lots of noodles, dumplings, fried dough sticks, and patties of some undetermined substance. We chose a noodle dish, lots of veggies, and a drink that tasted like coconut. We took it back to the room and began to pack. Our bus leaves at 1:30, for the 5:30 flight. 

Packing was easier than it was preparing for the trip. Just throw everything in, wherever. The extra suitcase was great – it held all of Andy’s gifts. Our own suitcases had extra room because we had eaten all of the food, used Zhen’s supplies, and left some items to be donated to orphanages. Andy headed off to buy a few more gifts, including some packs of tea that I had found in the grocery store. We finished off the last of our “in the room” food for lunch. 

Quite a glitch appeared around noon. This was the usual checkout time, but we did not leave until 1:30, and had arranged that we could check out later. However, no one thought to tell the electronic door keys. We all went out around noon for a last walk around, and could not get back into the room. There was a mass of people at the counter trying to check out (and some were locked out as we were). We were afraid that we could not do our final packing and catch the bus on time. However, a clerk finally understood our problem, and re-keyed our electronic key (without having to go up to the room, as they had done before when the key wouldn’t work). We made the bus on time. 

We said our goodbyes to the hotel, and to Beijing. We arrived at the airport in good time, and said goodbye to Cherry. Suddenly, we were on our own, without a guide! By this time, we were all confident enough to find our own way. We had an unexpectedly easy exit through customs. We had been told that if we were taking anything out of the country that we had not declared coming in, we were liable for export duties. We did not have any opportunity to declare anything coming in, because we had avoided going through customs at all. However, we were only asked if we had anything to declare other than minor gifts, and we were ushered right through. We quickly found the stand where they put plastic security straps around the luggage, then headed off to wait for our flight. 

The long flight to Vancouver was uneventful. All the babies were good – hardly any crying at all. We entertained Zhen with magazines – she really enjoys looking at the pictures, particularly of faces. The other passengers enjoyed her because of her ready smile. They passed her around, each person playing with her for a while. Fortunately it was soon the usual bedtime for the babies, and they slept most of the way to Vancouver. Meals and snacks were served, and we were amused that the meal from the Chinese caterer said “Welcome You To Travel By Our Plane”

When we entered the plane, I had asked the flight attendant if there were any extra seats, so I could move later, and we could put Zhen down to sleep in my seat. She said that they were fully booked, but she would watch for any “no shows”. Sure enough, she came back to say that there was one extra, and she would put my coat on it to claim it for me. I spent most of the flight there. The sleeping pills did not work, but I dozed a little, always keeping an eye out to see if Andy needed help. I went back several times to get hot water, and to mix more formula for Zhen, and to dispose of the disposables when needed. It was difficult to sleep (although Andy manages it well). There always seemed to be someone standing in the aisle having a loud conversation in Chinese, or someone walking up and down the aisle whistling (even though the lights were down, TV screen off, and many were wrapped in blankets obviously trying to sleep). Oh well, I still had a good novel to read, and I knew Doris would let me sleep for a week when I got back. 

We arrived in Vancouver on time, and suddenly, it was the next day, but it wasn’t! Very strange to cross the date line. We made our way through customs, and to Immigration. There were a lot of people in the waiting room, but the officials had been forewarned (many thanks to Linda, our tour head, who arranged so many things during the trip). We were ushered right up to the windows, paperwork done and stamped quickly by a really pleasant official, and suddenly, Zhen was a Canadian! A very emotional moment for all the parents, the culmination of a two-year odyssey, and the beginning of a new life for everyone. Andy and I were just glowing, and proud to have Zhen with us. We wished that Julie could have been there with us to share this moment. 

While we waited in Vancouver we had something to eat, and I phoned Doris to let her know that we were safely back in Canada. We then panicked, because we had forgotten to claim our stroller (it was at a “Special Services” baggage window) when we claimed our luggage to go through customs. It was only a cheepo ($14.95 at Walmart), but I decided I had enough time to waste, and tried to retrieve it. To get back to the baggage claim area from the waiting area was impossible, since it was for incoming passengers only. A helpful assistant at the Information Booth told me to go right up to the exit gate of the baggage area, and pick up the phone to try to get an Air Canada rep to help. I marched past the waiting crowds, past the velvet ropes, down the corridor, with all the “waiters” looking at me as if I were jumping the line. I picked up the phone – busy signal. I waited a few minutes, still busy. This went on for 15 minutes. I went back to the Info booth to see if there was another way (we had a plane to catch soon). No, just keep trying. Back to the phone, this time I got through! A few minutes later, a service person came out of the door and handed me the stroller. I found Andy again, and we made the flight, with time to spare. Off on the final leg home!!


Day 13 - Arrival Home

We arrived in Toronto on time, and found our way to the baggage claim. The Toronto Airport, in comparison to the large, bright, shiny, and convenient airports in China (and Vancouver) was crowded, dark, and inconvenient. We found the baggage claim almost by accident, down a dingy, narrow corridor without a sign. Claude was kind enough to give us a toonie for the baggage carts (no other airport charged for carts) because our Canadian money was still buried in the luggage. We did not have to wait long, but we were surprised when the automatic door opened, and standing there was Doris, camera in hand, with Bailey, peering in to get a first glimpse. On the next door opening we could see Julie, Téa and Rochelle, with balloons in hand. They were all straining to catch a glimpse of us, and to get a first look at Zhen. 

We finally got all our luggage together, and with Zhen fast asleep in Andy’s Trekker, we wheeled out. My first hug was for Doris – we were sure glad to see each other. We hadn’t been apart for this long for ages. Then, it was time for the new family. Doris and I took pictures while Andy reunited with Julie and his kids. Everyone was so excited (except Zhen, who was still sleeping). I have never seen such a wide beaming smile on Julie’s face as when she first saw Zhen. She was soon holding her, still beaming. Rochelle had on her huge Australian smile. Andy was so pleased to have his family together again! 

Andy finally put Zhen down on her feet, and this must have been quite a surprise awakening. A new family, everyone wanting to hold her, tickle her, relate to her. Téa held back a bit, not quite sure of this new person. It took a few minutes, but she was soon checking her out, wanting to touch her and talk to her. Big sister is a new role for her!

Bailey was beaming in Zhen’s face, wanting to hold her right away. He is going to be a great big brother. Rochelle continued to beam too, taking pictures, looking out for everyone. I took lots of video footage. Zhen seemed overwhelmed. All in a cluster they moved towards the car -  Zhen finally a Canadian, finally home, finally with her new family for a brand new life in Canada. 

I know she will look back on this record of her adoption in the future with fondness, reflecting all the loving from her adoptive family that went into this adventure of a lifetime. With the great upbringing from such a wonderful family, I am sure that she is going to have a rich, happy, and productive life. 

Written by Proud Grandpa Jim 
Edited by Proud Grandma Doris
July, 2004