Chinese adoptees celebrate the Year of the Rooster

World Today

It’s a Happy Lunar New Year for many Chinese children adopted by U.S. parents. During the holiday weekend, the largest China-focused adoption agency in the world put on a big New Year celebration in Colorado.

CGTN’s Hendrik Sybrandy reports.

It’s one of the high points of the year, not only in China but in places like Lakewood, Colorado, where hundreds of people gathered Saturday night to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year. Many here belong to blended U.S.-Chinese families.

These adopted children from China, were the featured attraction — performing a variety of Chinese folk dances. They’ve spent the past year learning their steps at the local Joyous Chinese Cultural Center.

Josh Zhong is the co-founder of Chinese Children Adoption International, or CCAI, which put on this event and tries to make sure these kids don’t abandon their Chinese roots entirely when joining their American families.

“Now when they grow up they realize they’re different and they’re curious about where they come from. So understanding their culture is number one, almost the most positive step,” Zhong said.

CCAI has matched roughly 12,000 Chinese children with U.S. parents. Some have special medical needs but that has hardly deterred their parents.

“I guess it’s just giving a child a second chance that wouldn’t have it otherwise. Giving them a good home and love and caring for them,” Joe Sullivan, an adoptive parent said.

To mark the Year of the Rooster, China’s Consul General in Chicago joined the Rooster Dance and said these children help solidify the link between U.S. and China.

“They will serve the best bridges for the relationship, for our friendship between these two great nations. Don’t you think so?” Hong Lei, Chinese consul general said.

The world has opened up for these adoptive parents.

“We’re here in the United States and it’s kind of like you don’t realize what’s going on around you and this kind of gives you the global aspect of all the people and different cultures,” Monica Ryan, an adoptive parent, said.