Linzhi Mei Zi-Xiu Leiker

Formerly Residing at the
Yueyang Social Welfare Institute
Hunan Province

Click here for Linzhi's Vital Statistics at Referral

Why does she have so many layers of clothes on?
Click here to understand the Chinese Custom

  Photographs were taken February 2, 2002    
   
  Linzhi's Vital Statistics:

Date of Birth: September 24, 2001

Name given at the orphanage: Yue, Zi-Xiu
Yue is the last name, Zi means "purple flower",
Xiu means pretty (Chinese equivalent of Heather or Violet?)

Linzhi's Medical Exam was performed on February 28, 2002
Doctor's Assessment: Normal and Healthy
Weight: 5.5 kg = 12 lbs
Height: 59.5 cm = 23.43"

 

Why So Many Clothes?
In Linzhi's pictures, you can see that she has on 7-8 layers of clothing. Why is that? From a Chinese perspective, this is actually very reassuring. It means that Linzhi is in the hands of very caring people.

From an article written by Joshua Zhong, Co-Founder and President of Chinese Children Charities (of which my adoption agency, CCAI, is a part)
The Chinese believe that a new born baby is vulnerable and weak. A child's skin is the most tender and it gives in to sunshine or cold weather easily. Therefore, even in hot summer days, they will have their babies covered from head to toe to prevent the babies from getting a cold, skin infection or germs of other types. The elderly Chinese see those young parents on the streets with inappropriate or inadequately covered children as irresponsible, and therefore must be corrected immediately for the sake of the children's health.

American adoptive parents are sometimes admonished on the streets of China by well-meaning older women, whose advice is usually given in Chinese. Parents warn future travelers of these sweet women with the tongue-in-cheek designation of "the baby police". When going out, the advice is to carry a thin blanket with you to cover the baby and thus remain unnoticed.