Shirley Xiao, Shenzhen College of International Education

Elise and I aren’t the kind of friends that spend every minute together. In fact, we haven’t seen each other for five years. But her story and her disposition stand out vividly, making her special among all my acquaintances. She is my very unique Chinese friend from America.

When I first met Elise, I was astonished by her Asian appearance, given the fact that both her parents were white. Then I learned that she was adopted from China. Afraid to hurt her feelings, I never asked about her roots. However, Elise showed an earnest curiosity towards Chinese culture, her innocent eyes gleaming as she searched for bits of information about her hometown. She even visited China several times, in hopes of finding her birth parents, although sadly, those attempts were unsuccessful.

For someone raised in the U.S., it was almost impossible to master the Chinese language given its complexity, but Elise took Chinese lessons every week. When we FaceTimed each other, she chose to communicate in Chinese to practice her oral skills, although it would be much easier for her to speak in English. As I watched her struggle with simple words, I felt sad and proud of her at the same time. It took her such effort to learn what could have been her mother tongue, and yet her perseverance and determination to find her roots was so touching.

Elise’s interest in Chinese culture grew with time, and she was eager to try anything Chinese. When her interest for Chinese poetry started to bloom, she searched for English translations of Chinese poems and sang the words as songs. When she found joy in practicing calligraphy, she was busy with paper and ink every day, her back hunched over the table for long periods as she practiced over and again. I could sense her love and passion for Chinese culture thousands of miles away. I decided to give her a special gift.

I searched online for information about Elise’s hometown Lianjiang, including its geographical features, history, natural resources, cultural heritages and snacks.

Then, I translated the Chinese contents into English and kept them in one file.

“How wonderful it would be to send Elise this carefully compiled document! She’d get to know her hometown much better,” I thought. But then I reckoned that texts and images weren’t enough. I wanted Elise to feel a real connection with her hometown, instead of learning about it from a tourist’s perspective.

So through friends I found a girl in Lianjiang, Guangdong Province, Elise’s age, and implored with her to record a video. The girl agreed! She filmed herself reciting a Chinese poem in front of the hospital where as a baby Elise had been left to be discovered. In the end, I edited all the images and introduction of Lianjiang, and the kind girl’s video into one short film, which I sent to Elise via email.

Great satisfaction arrived with Elise’s reply. Her joy and excitement was obvious, as the text she sent was packed with exclamation marks. Along with the email, she sent me a recent photo of herself, smiling broadly and confidently.

It’s been five years since we last met, but she hasn’t changed at all. She is still the American girl eager to learn about Chinese culture that she used to be. And I can sense her growing passion for her long lost hometown in her bright-eyed steady gaze.