A Visit to the Orphanage in Yingtan

By Jim Gothreau

Our trip to visit the orphanage was actually a very pleasant surprise. As some may recall, back in 1998 and following the BBC "documentary" ("The Dying Rooms"?or something to that effect), Chinese officials were understandably opposed to orphanage visitors who may, or may not make prudent use of the experience. I've never seen that film but understand it may have involved the use of hidden cameras, focused on the poor conditions in some orphanages, and concluded there was an intentional harm inflicted on babies and children there.

The six couples and two single moms who made up "our group" first met our daughters on Sunday evening (March 8, 1998). Most of us had been in China only one or two days and our group had just completed a mid-afternoon flight from Beijing to Nanchang, the capitol of Jiangxi Province. Within two hours of our arrival at the recently constructed and absolutely palatial Lake View Hotel, we became parents.

In the next few days, many of us expressed our desire to visit the orphanage. In a "face-saving" move, our friendly and capable Chinese guides found many "excuses" why we "would not want to make the difficult four-hour bus trip (each way)". We "wouldn't see much", "wouldn't be allowed into the facility", etc.

Most of us understood why they preferred we didn't go... but when some of us politely insisted it would mean a lot to us and our babies, a trip by train was eventually planned for Friday, March 13. By then, about half of the parents "opted out" because it was to be a very "long day" and because we "would only be able to stand outside the orphanage and take photos"? Our daughter (14-month-old "Paisley Jaymes Cai"? alias "Fu Cai") had experienced the typical "transition"? and my wife and I hadn't slept much those first few nights. The temptation of an entire "free day" in pretty fancy "digs" weighed in. But something deeper within told me we wouldn't regret the extra effort.

In any event, about half of the group boarded the train that morning. It was about a two-hour ride (about 100 miles) to Yingtan and it provided us a chance to mingle with some "real", typical Chinese citizens in the crowded passenger cars. In a province with little tourism relative to others in China, I'm sure they were interested in these white couples with Chinese babies on the cusp of toddlerhood. But no one gawked, all were very warm & friendly when we did interact, and some shared the cookies they had packed for their train journey. When I discovered the toilet room was occupied, I was quickly invited to squeeze in on the nearest bench seat to wait my turn. As I sat, most passengers were singing along to several ceiling-mounted television sets which ran endless Kareoke songs in Chinese. A few minutes later, I got an opportunity to use the "squatter" while randomly being pushed about the "toilet room" at 50 m.p.h.!!

Between Nanchang and Yingtan our train passed through vast open farmlands interrupted occasionally by small villages. These were typically built up with rather plain-looking, utilitarian, two- or three-story masonry apartment structures which seemed somewhat drab and "out of place" in these colorful flat, rural settings. They reminded me of the efforts of the "cultural revolution". While water buffaloes were put to good use in these farm areas, this vision of "simpler times" was occasionally punctuated by passing rail cars loaded with shiny new Ford and John Deere tractors.

After we arrived at the train station in Yingtan, our guide led us to a van she had arranged to ferry us to the neighborhood in which the orphanage was located. By that time, it had turned out to be quite a beautiful day. In the midst of "rainy season", with normal temperatures in the 50's, this particular "Friday the 13th" was sunny and 70 degrees. As we boarded the van, my wife and I quickly turned to each other in disbelief as the radio began to play "our dating song", the 1982 Bertie Higgins hit, "Just Another Day in Paradise". In fact, this day which would later feature a full moon, also marked the 16th anniversary of our very first date.

We had to walk the final 200 yards, or so, through narrow "streets" built up with strings of two-story buildings on either side. We passed two men playing billiards on an old pool table left exposed on a sidewalk. We spotted a scrappy looking dog moving slowly and he reminded us how rare a sight any dog is in this culture. It appeared to be a relatively poor neighborhood, at least judging by the standards of the much larger and more cosmopolitan city of Nanchang. And the shadows cast by the buildings made it suddenly feel somewhat cooler.

When we reached the gate of the orphanage, we had no idea how much time we'd have to spend there. So, naturally, we immediately began to take snap-shots and simply "take it all in". Meanwhile, our tour guide was speaking through the metal gates to a middle aged man, presumably explaining why our group was there. After about 5 or 10 minutes, and to our complete surprise, the gate was swung open and we were unceremoniously allowed to pass into the main courtyard.

The sunshine flooded the courtyard's neatly paved hexagonal landscaping blocks. We slowly spun around to view the four one- to three-story masonry buildings that comprise the facility and enclose the courtyard. In many respects, this was a haven, maybe even an "oasis", that did appear quite comfortable relative to the general austerity of the surrounding neighborhood.

We mingled with various "first-shift" caregivers who seemed very happy to see the babies again and to learn of their successful adjustments into our lives. We had our guides on over-drive as we conversed and asked questions about the facility and life there. We watched on as young babies were placed in their wooden "high" chair contraptions to take in the sunshine during this normally rainy season. And it was obviously "wash day", as evidenced by the several lines filled with clothes in many sizes and colors.

The orphanage was an active place, filled with the mixture of sounds of children at play. Some of the kids were with us in the courtyard. Others were visible in first floor rooms and obviously intrigued by these unusual looking visitors. I remember kids of various ages getting along well together inside the various buildings and running back and forth from each open window to interact with us.

And there were several "older", extremely well behaved kids. They were 12 or 13, and now beyond the typical age of being considered "adoptable". When asked about their fate, we were told that with improving conditions and better financing, these older kids would now have an opportunity to get some education? and perhaps learn to care for others there.

It was quite moving to spend those one or two hours in this facility. Relative to the general neighborhood conditions we saw that day, the conditions inside this facility were quite good. However, I can understand that if we showed these photos and videos "out of context" to other Americans, they would most probably get the "wrong" impression and assume the care our daughters received was sub-standard. It wasn't. And the caregivers did not appear to simply be doing their "jobs". Two years later, we remain quite guarded about who we let view this portion of our adoption experience.

Later we boarded the van for a short ride to some cool (literally that is, maybe 55-60 degrees) second floor room in some masonry building for a lunch with several of the officials from the orphanage. These included the director, a pleasant woman soon to turn 50 (April 12, it says in our documents... & you thought we didn't read those items). And, naturally, we had more questions to ask. The meal itself was quite interesting... but you could tell they were "pulling out the stops" for their guests and "when in Rome"...

As the sun reached its peak that day we were on a side trip to Yingtan's famous Tiger and Dragon Mountain, noted for being the "birthplace" of Taoism. It lies at the end of narrow road about 12 miles outside of Yingtan. Between the city and the historical site are many small farms. Beyond the farms lie impressive stone formations which stand in sharp contrast to the flat farmlands at their feet. Some of these "mountains" were jagged while others consisted of simple narrow spires, perhaps 300 or 400 feet high. More than a few featured unusually flat vertical surfaces which, in other economies (and, I'll bet, in China's future) would beg for experienced rock climbers.

Where the road ends at the impressive entrance gate of Tiger and Dragon Mountain, the small neighborhood has been built up with more of those two-story masonry structures. I believe some of these are "hotels" which meet the seasonal demands of Chinese who make the "pilgrimage" to this site.

On this day, the area was very quiet. We were informed we "wouldn't have time" to pay the admission and pass through the imposing entrance for a chance to hike along the paths which appear to meander past small lakes and up to the pagoda atop the mountain. I have since read travel books which mention this "attraction", the boats you can rent, etc. But I still wonder if perhaps this site is, in a subtle manner, "reserved" for the Chinese. In any event, we were smart enough to be thankful for what our guides had given us that day. So we shot more photos and videos here, bought a few tourist-oriented mementos at one quiet shop, and took the opportunity to change some heavy diapers. We watched as a local toddler wander within a 40-foot radius of his mom who was washing clothes in a simple wash basin at her feet.

Overall, it was a long but pleasant and quite relaxing day. It had also been an intensively emotional. Though it's hard to articulate, we had time to take in the "feel" of the places we touched that day. We returned to our hotel pretty late that evening and, as we had been warned, really were exhausted. While those who decided to by-pass the trip and "hang around" the comfortable hotel seemed satisfied with their decisions, those of us who made the journey that day kept to ourselves exactly how fortunate we considered ourselves for having decided to go.

While we were in the orphanage (actually the courtyard) we were allowed to freely photograph or video anything we wanted. No one said a word. Later, when we boarded the van, our guide explained how fortunate we were to have been allowed into the orphanage. She mentioned the "risk" the dedicated director had taken by her decision to let us in. And she twice pleaded with us not to "abuse" that privilege by showing photos or videos on the "internet" or for other than personal purposes. While not specifically mentioning the BBC "film", I understood what she meant. To us those images of our visit are "priceless" but we try to keep in mind that others might view them less passionately and less positively. And we remember the promises we'd made to our guide.

As a footnote to the tale of our trip to the orphanage, I should mention that one of the two single moms was accompanied on the two-week trip by her sister-in-law. While that single mom decided to remain at the Lake View Hotel that day, the sister-in-law made the trip with us to Yingtan to shoot some photos. I didn't realize it at the time, but she also provided the orphanage director with a "disposable camera" to shoot photos inside the buildings.

A few weeks after our return to the USA, we received a package in the mail from the sister-in-law. It contained a note and a series of reasonably good color photographs that resulted from her thoughtfulness. These included shots taken in several different rooms. Some were of wooden cribs in rooms with ceramic tile floors and ceramic tile wainscoting. A few shots featured several toddlers standing (and a few leaning against a crib), looking at the camera with content looks of their faces. Others photos showed preparation rooms where it appeared the meals and "bottles" were made, etc.

In light of the legitimate "fears" the long-time director must have felt, it was brave of her to accommodate that request. But I think she recognized how important it might be to us and or babies, as they grow up and put the "pieces together".

A second "footnote" should mention that the Yingtan orphanage was reported to have been heavily damaged during the flooding which occurred just months after our trip.

A third "footnote": On our van ride back to the train station in Yingtan, we made a "potty stop" at the one modern hotel in Yingtan. While not up to the standards of the new Lake View Hotel in Nanchang, it was quite nice by local standards and we probably will stay there a few nights when we return to visit this city. On one of the travel websites for China Tourism (www.cnta.com), there is a web page for this hotel. I think it's the "Yingtan Huaqiao Hotel". According to the web page, it's a 235-room, three-star hotel with ten floors. Rates range from $20 to $29 (the only posted rate in excess of that is the single "deluxe suite" which is quoted at $120). These low rates might reflect the fact that this city is not a typical destination for non-Chinese travelers.

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