言归寻亲

Roots & Reunion

Connecting adoptees with birth families

and rebuilding emotional bridges across oceans.

China’s international adoption program officially began in 1992, following the enactment of the Adoption Law,

which allowed foreign families to adopt Chinese children through legal channels.

Since then, an estimated 160,000 children have been adopted abroad, mainly to the United States, Europe, and Canada.

During the 1990s and early 2000s, the vast majority—over 90%—of adoptees were girls,

largely due to the effects of the one-child policy and traditional gender preferences.

In 2024, China officially ended most international adoptions,

marking the close of a 30-year chapter that profoundly shaped countless families and cross-cultural identities around the world.

About the Project

Yangui Team is committed to assisting overseas Chinese adoptees reconnect with their birth families in China through interpreting and translation services, local knowledge, and connection support with relevant organizations such as welfare institutions, public security bureaus, and NGOs.

Our goal is to make this process streamlined and easier for the Chinese adoptees and both their families. As a strong team of women, we possess a unique understanding of the impact of international adoption in China and all around the world.

We are excited to help you start your journey!

Katie’s Story

We first met Katie in July 2025 when she returned to her birth-city Guilin, Guangxi Province to find her birth family.

Katie needed help with document translations and interpreting. With our resources and skilled bilingualism, we were able to share her story across multiple social media platforms and connect her to local media. We also provided on-going support such as poster printing and serve as the local point of contact.

As Katie returns back to her home country, she is comforted knowing she has a reliable connection in China if any additional information comes forward. We were inspired to help other Chinese adoptees like her to find her roots here in China.

Practical steps and trusted links for those seeking their roots.

Resources Center

Step-by-Step Guide

—Each step brings you closer to your story’s beginning.

    • Certificate of Adoption

    • Certificate of Abandonment

    • Birth Certificate

    • Finding spot information

    • Police finding ad (if any)

    • Social Welfare Institute name/address

    • Foster Family information, if any

    If originals are missing, request copies from your adoptive agency and scan everything digitally (PDF).

  • This step may require a bilingual liaison who can assist with the following steps to apply to your birth-city’s Civil Affairs Bureau to visit the Social Welfare Institute.

    • The applicant should submit the “Welfare Institution Application Form” along with a copy of the Certificate of Adoption and passport copies of the adoptive parents (even if deceased), adopted child and accompanying person’s (interpreter).

    • The contact information provided should be able to receive the application verification results effectively.

    • For the welfare institutions’ contact information, please visit the website of China Centre for Children’s Welfare and Adoption (https://www.cccwa.cn/)

    It is highly recommended to use a local person’s phone number to expedite this process.

    • Visit local police in China to submit DNA sample to the National DNA Reunion Database

      • Provide liaison’s contact information

    • Use widely-matched consumer databases first (e.g., 23andMe, and 23mofang) and opt-in to relative matching.

    • Download your raw DNA data and upload to GEDmatch to expand cross-platform matches.

    • Recheck matches monthly and be cautious if anyone reaches out to you asking for monetary exchange before providing information.

    • Be mindful of privacy; read each platform’s consent settings.

    • Prepare a one-page poster: contact information (WeChat and email), key information such as dates and locations, any items that was discovered with the child, and clear baby/early childhood/adult photos of adoptee.

    • Connect to local TV/newspapers in the birth city

    • Use WeChat Channels/Weibo/Douyin/Xiaohongshu community accounts, and reputable NGOs that run reunion programs (such as Baby Come Home).

    • Try to contact TV shows such as Wait For Me/等着我 for Missing Persons.

    • Avoid providing personal details such as home address and numbers.

    • Keep a spreadsheet of where/when you posted.

    • Never pay for “guaranteed matches”; avoid intermediaries asking for sensitive documents or fees.

Explore Family Search Websites

Nanchang Project

dedicated to providing overseas Chinese adoptees with resources for finding relatives, collecting information, and connecting with culture.

Visit

DNA Connect

Through DNA testing and data comparison, we help Chinese adoptees and their biological families achieve scientific and accurate identity matching and reunion.

Visit

Baby Come Home

China's largest public welfare family search website brings together volunteers from across the country to help missing children reunite with their families.

Visit

Let’s work together.

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