Where It All Started: An Adoptive Mother's Journey for Truth
Copyright © The Nanchang Project
By Erin Valentino (she/her)
Adoptive Parent
Nanchang Project Co-Founder + Co-Director
Living in USA
The Nanchang Project was born out of a fierce determination to uncover the truth, and it all started in the spring of 2018. Alongside Faith Winstead, another adoptive mom, I embarked on a journey that would forever change our lives. We had both hired a searcher to visit Nanchang on our children’s behalf, hoping to unearth any fragment of information about their beginnings. While the search brought some new information, it didn’t bring me closer to the truth about where my daughter came from, or who she came from. But I’m an eternal optimist, and that belief fueled my determination to keep pushing forward. Despite not knowing a word of Mandarin, I threw myself into Chinese social media, spreading my daughter’s story far and wide. I zeroed in on official accounts on Weibo, hoping against hope that someone, somewhere in Nanchang, where she was found, might recognize something.
In 2018, few people were using Chinese social media for searches like ours, so her story spread like wildfire. It wasn’t long before news organizations took notice, and interview requests began coming in. It was in those moments that I realized the immense power of this platform—how it could be a lifeline for anyone searching in China. Seizing this momentum, Faith and I decided to create a search video featuring adoptees from Nanchang. From that spontaneous and heartfelt decision, the Nanchang Project was born.
Our video showcased about 30 adoptees, all from Nanchang, and it went viral. The response was overwhelming. A philanthropist and former journalist from Nanchang, deeply moved by our efforts, reached out and offered to host a press conference if we could come in person. Without hesitation, our community of 30 families rallied together, raising the funds needed to send Faith and me to China. Six whirlwind weeks after the video’s debut, Faith, Kathryn—an adult adoptee from Nanchang—and I found ourselves on a plane, hearts full of hope.
In Nanchang, our new friend made good on his promise, organizing a press conference in our hotel that drew journalists from all over Jiangxi Province. Even The Beijing News sent a correspondent to follow our journey. We spent a week in Nanchang, pouring our hearts into every interview, handing out flyers, and speaking to anyone who would listen.
I returned from China with more questions than answers. Despite international adoption being well-known globally, I was struck by how little the citizens we encountered in China knew about it. They were shocked—embarrassed even—to learn that 30 children had been sent abroad from their city. We struggled to convey the enormity of the situation. It wasn’t just 30 children; it was thousands, and that was only in one city, in one province. Across China, approximately 150,000 children were adopted abroad. How could we even begin to explain the magnitude of this?
Back home, we refused to let the momentum fade. We expanded the project to encompass all of Jiangxi Province, creating group videos and posters for regions across Jiangxi. Word spread like wildfire, and soon, birth families began reaching out to us.
Our very first match was nothing short of miraculous. A tweet from our Project’s Weibo account featuring a Jiangxi adoptee found its way into a local WeChat group, and a birth family recognized the details. DNA testing confirmed the connection, and just like that, a family was reunited. Six years later, we’ve confirmed over 60 matches, each one a testament to the power of perseverance and love.
I've now met hundreds of Chinese birth families, each with a story that could shatter your heart. Most of these parents long for just one thing—to know that their child is alive and well. As a parent myself, I feel a profound responsibility and commitment to helping these families uncover where their children have gone, and in doing so, hopefully bring them some measure of peace.
Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine my life taking this transformative path. Each match is monumental; it’s someone finally discovering where they come from, learning the basic information most of us take for granted—like their birth date, or what their parents look like. It’s a priceless gift of peace for the birth families. It’s a family, broken by circumstance, slowly being stitched back together.
Starting from the humble beginnings of two determined mothers, The Nanchang Project has blossomed into a transformative initiative with over forty dedicated volunteers. I'm incredibly proud to share that 95% of our current volunteers are Chinese adoptees, a testament to the impact and reach of our work. Throughout the years, our organization has made three journeys back to China, launched and expanded various search support programs, and faced both triumphs and challenges. The unwavering support of the Chinese adoptive community has been our driving force, and I am thrilled to embark on the next chapter as we continue to grow and evolve.