- Tuanfeng, Hubei Province, China -

by Mrs. Yannie Fan
( Edited by Mary Lynn Hodshire)

June 25, 2000
 
A Letter from Tuanfeng, Hubei Province
 
My report from Tuanfeng is a personal note to a young girl from Chicago who came from Tuanfeng.
 
Dear Young Friend,

Before I left for China, you and your mom gave me a package of pictures and letters written in Chinese and English.  It is hard to believe that 35 days later I am at the Tuanfeng Social Welfare Institute where you spent your first six and a half years.  I have met several of your friends and took a picture of them in the garden-like yard of the Institute. Every one of the girls here said that they could never forget you!
 
Uncle Shao (the name you used for the vice-director of the institute) told the girls to write letters to you.  He instructed them to use standard characters so that you could read them.  Within 20 minutes your friends, Hong Shen, Qin Lai, Zhen Lai and Yie, all had letters and postcards for you.
 
I have translated Qin Lai's postcard below:
 
Hello,
 
I wish you happiness forever on the other side of the globe.
 
Your old (former) sister,
 
Qin.
 
Then Qin wrote:
 
p.s.
 
Don't forget your sister and foster father and mother.  Hopefully we will be able to meet again in the future.
 
Zhen Lai also wrote you a postcard with the same message as Qin Lai. Hong Shen sealed her letter so I could not translate it for you.  But, I think you should be able to read it since you have been studying Chinese since you came to live in Chicago.

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