Adoption Stories

Adoption Stories is a project that explores adoption through portraits of adoptees - both domestic and international - who were raised by their adoptive families in the UK.

This project is deeply personal to me as an adoptee. I was born in China, and adopted from an orphanage in Yong Zhou at 1.5 years old, by a British family. Many adoptees may never know why they were placed up for adoption, and that uncertainty can be frustrating because have never been given any clarity, and the thought lingers in the back of their minds. However, I have realised that I don’t need that closure because I am incredibly fortunate and grateful to have been given a second chance in life, and placed with a family who loves and cares for me when my first family couldn’t.

Through this project, I connected with fellow adoptees, sharing our bittersweet yet meaningful stories. These conversations, filled with both joy and longing, shaped this body of work - one that I hope to continue expanding.