China, Day 20: Qichun, Hubei: Jia’s hometown and the Unexpected.

Jia’s hometown is Qichun, Hubei. It’s a "small" town in China of about a million people, and when she was adopted ten years ago, it was less than half that size and primarily farmland. On the way there, we drove by field after field of lotus plants with huge pink and white blossoms.

 

Her county is known for producing many scholars. It is also known for its beauty as it has many lakes, mountains and valleys. The town has expanded rapidly in the last ten years because it has become a large producer of medicinal herbs. We were able to try some local dishes when we were there.

 

(With our extraordinary guide Cindy.)

In addition to having Jia see her homeland, we planned what we thought would be a simple visit to her Social Welfare Institute and her foster mother. Instead we ended up embroiled in a mystery complete with clues from old photographs, a hidden note, and an imposter. We followed our hunches, untangled the web of secrets, and uncovered bombshell after bombshell. Thankfully, the new information makes Jia happy. She met people in China who care deeply for her and now has lasting connections there. That is what’s most important.

We also received a picture of Jia as a newborn baby dressed by her birth family!

Our guide and driver were intrepid detectives and we will be forever grateful to them for what they helped us uncover during our journey. We are also so proud of Jia for gracefully navigating a very complicated situation.

This was the last leg of our journey. This trip was life-changing for all of us, especially for the girls. They both discovered more about who they are, formed lasting relationships, and hopefully developed a love for their homelands along the way.