From adoption to adulthood

                                                 Who Am I Now?

                                            Chinese Adoptees and Cultural Identity

Over the last twenty five years more than 85,000 children have been adopted from China by parents in the United States. These children are racially Chinese but have been raised mostly by white parents. They have naturally developed American identities, but as they have grown and gone out into the world they are seen as Chinese. This has been confusing for many of these adoptees, and has caused many of them to think about their cultural and racial identities. In some cases these adoptees have attempted to learn more about Chinese culture so that they can feel more comfortable with expectations from other people, including Chinese people. Some have attempted to develop a bicultural identity so that they can feel like they are both American and Chinese and can be comfortable in both identities.  I am one of them.

I have conducted interviews with Chinese adoptees, mostly by Skype and captured them with Camtasia. I asked a range of questions about their adoptive families, their identity, race and culture, about cultural exposure and travel to China among other topics.  The response of adoptees varied a lot, showing many individual points of view.

One of the most striking themes that came up during the interviews was race. I learned that race is one of the first things people react to and base assumptions about a person. At the same time it seems that most people don’t talk about race. This is significant because of the stereotypes and prejudices that are formed based on a physical characteristic that may have nothing to do with a person’s history, culture, values or behavior. Another point that came up through the interviews was how much people confuse race and culture. They mix up race with culture and race with nationality. If people see me as Chinese racially, they make assumptions about my language and culture. They have trouble seeing me as American because I’m not white. These reactions based on race can have a big impact on how people interact and function, and can influence how a person feels about themselves.

As a Chinese adoptee I am very interested in Chinese culture and language. Is this because I was born in China? Or because my white mother has an intense interest in all things Chinese? I am fascinated with other Chinese adoptees’ perspectives on their identity, especially the ones who don’t consider Chinese-ness to be a part of their identity.  I hope this topic will be engaging and helpful to other adoptees, and to anyone who is curious about racial and cultural identity.