Growing up Chinese-American has not been easy for LuLu Grant and Phoebe McChesney, who both wanted to fit in while never too far from the past.
Born in China, raised in US: adoptees explore the meaning of identity at Lunar New Year
Growing up Chinese-American has not been easy for LuLu Grant and Phoebe McChesney, both wanting to fit in, while never too far from the past.
“People think that finding your birth family is so joyous, and part of it is, but it’s also very sad and very difficult,” she said, adding that “it’s not how I wish it were, and sadly, it’s never going to be that. That’s impossible.”
According to non-profit organisation China’s Children International, many families resorted to giving up their children due to the “societal importance of males within China’s traditional familial structure and compounded by the economic pressures faced by many families in rural areas”.
The article was published on February 19, 2026, focusing on these adoptees' exploration of identity during Lunar New Year. Keywords include Hunan, Fuzhou, Washington, and Illinois, reflecting their birthplaces and upbringing locations.
