Adoptee spotlight: Alex

Girls Adoption Connect
4 days ago
2 min read

Leping, Jiangxi, China → United Kingdom

A gray, collage-style graphic featuring the name “Alex” written in red script near the top. The background includes light grid lines and small white dot patterns.
Left image: A torn piece of red paper with vertical handwritten Chinese characters in black ink. The paper has rough, uneven edges and is centered within a white border.
Top right image: A childhood photo of Alex standing outdoors in a grassy landscape with cows grazing behind them. The child wears an orange shirt, blue shorts, and sunglasses, with water and green hills visible in the background.
Bottom right image: A close-up portrait of Alex with long dark hair. They wear bold, colorful eye makeup in shades of yellow, pink, and purple, glossy lips
At the bottom of the collage, text reads: “Leping, Jiangxi, China to United Kingdom.”

Hi, my name is Alex, and I’m 27 years old. I live in the UK with my parents and have a younger adopted sister (not biologically related) who was also from China. We’re from the same province of Jiangxi.

I was born in March 1998 in Leping and adopted in November 1998 when I was about 8 months old. I was found by a man named Zou Shuihua and was taken to the Leping Social Welfare House. There was a red note found with me with my birthdate and time of birth written on it (6:21 pm). Before being adopted, I was fostered by a couple in China for a short time.

From my childhood, I have fond memories of spending time with family, friends, and enjoying lots of hobbies (music, singing, golfing with my dad, walking, and helping others). My parents have always been supportive of my curiosity to know more and encouraged me to search for my birth family if I wanted to.

It would be great to have some closure and peace regarding my roots, although I know it’s not guaranteed or very likely to happen. I’d love to connect with other Chinese adoptees across the world, especially those also from Jiangxi, and discuss our experiences.

Now, I still enjoy music, singing, makeup artistry, writing, and spending time with family.

Growing up, sometimes I felt different from others, and especially during school, I found it hard to fit in and make friends. Finding other adoptees online has made me feel like I’m not the only one going through the same thing, and it shows me that support is available. I’m more confident in my own identity. Recently, I submitted my blood card to the National Reunion Database in China to see if I could find any clues, and I registered myself on search posters.

"Finding other adoptees online has made me feel like I’m not the only one going through the same thing, and it shows me that support is available."

I wish every single adoptee looking for their birth family all the best, and may we all find the answers we deserve. I’m so grateful to the communities I’ve found and the amazing people I’ve had the pleasure of exchanging stories with. Thank you for reading!