The White Swan

For the past day we've been in Guangzhou. I should say something about the hotel where we're staying, the White Swan.

Every child adopted internationally by an American family needs an immigrant visa. The only US consulate in China that issues them is in Guangzhou. The Guangzhou consulate used to be located on Shamian Island. Adjoining the consulate is a five star hotel, the White Swan. And so, from 1992 to the present, the White Swan is where the majority of adoptive families stayed while waiting for a visa. It has a special place in the memories of many families.

During the peak period of Chinese adoptions, the White Swan (sometimes called the "White Stork") was a veritable nursery. Travel groups lined up in front of the lobby waterfall for photos. Babies went for their first swim in the pool. Dozens of businesses catering to adoptive families crowded the area. "White Swan family" (as in "look, Dad, there's a White Swan family") crept into our family's lexicon.

Even though the consulate has moved, quite a few new adoptive families still stay in the hotel. However, the number of Chinese adoptions has gone down in recent years. The neighborhood now has several vacant storefronts, and the remaining businesses seem to be suffering. But if you walk around the hotel, you see quite a few Western parents with preteen or teen-aged Chinese girls, who have returned to China to visit the country of their birth -- either individually or in groups like ours. It is something we hoped for at the time we adopted, and now it is happening.