Chinese people may not, at first, react in the same way to a Chinese adoptee as they might when they meet a white Westerner. Is there anything about an obviously foreign-looking white adoptive parent and a very Chinese-looking adoptee traveling together that might be either helpful or problematic when trying to undertake a birth family search in China?

 Olivia Wolf, a writer for AsAmNews (Asian American News), recently traveled to China together with her adoptive father to do some research on her family background there, and we talk with Olivia about the cultural and practical implications of this, as well as possible hurdles when it comes to cross-cultural communication. Olivia also shares a few thoughts about how adoptees might prepare for the challenging quest to uncover clues about their birth parents. And she mentions the value of people being as open as possible about all aspects of the experience of searching for birth family in China.

 Ricki shares some of her thoughts on Olivia’s story and perspective, as an adoptee who has spent significant time with her own birth family in China. And Iris also offers insight, as someone Chinese who has worked in the field of adoption, into questions about the advantages and drawbacks of the participation of white Westerners in something as sensitive and culturally complex as a birth family search in China.

 NOTE: the documentary film that Ricki was featured in, Ricki’s Promise, has just been released for download and streaming on Amazon and GooglePlay.