Gladney China Heritage Tours | Homeland tours for families with children from China

China Heritage Tours

A return visit to China is a valuable opportunity to reconnect children with their homeland and heritage. But the logistics of such a trip can be daunting, and conventional travel agencies often lack experience with the personal and emotional aspects of such a journey.

Fortunately, Gladney can conduct a stress-free and memorable heritage tour for you and your family. A Gladney China Heritage Tour is a customized, culturally-based sightseeing experience uniquely designed for any China adoptive family or group of families interested in visiting their child’s birth city and, where available, Social Welfare Institute and foster family. It is available to all families, regardless of whether your child was adopted through Gladney.

NEWS Jiangxi-Shanghai-Suzhou Tour, July 28 - August 6

The Province of Jiangxi is jointly sponsoring a wonderful heritage tour that will run July 28 through August 6, 2013, starting in Shanghai and finishing in Nanchang. Jiangxi is among the provinces with the most adoptions.

This tour was designed with Jiangxi children and their families in mind, as well as families with children from Shanghai, Jiangsu and other East China regions, but is open to all children adopted from China. In addition to the tour, there is also an option to add time at the beginning or end to allow for orphanage visits or to see other sites in China. Naturally, such additional trips involve extra cost.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

Financial support for the in-China tour expenses for all Chinese adoptees who participate is available by China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs, through CCCWA. These subsidies are available for a limited number of families, so apply soon. Applications are welcome until all spaces are filled.

To apply, download an application. Instructions are included. Return it as soon as possible to receive a confirmation letter detailing your specific tour information.

Highlights of the tour include a three-day sightseeing tour in Shanghai and Suzhou and a visit to Nanchang, the Jiangxi provincial capital. Other featured stops are Jingdezhen, (China’s centuries-old “Capital of Porcelain”), Longhu Mountain, (the birthplace of Taoism, otherwise known as Dragon and Tiger Mountain) and the amazing peaks, strange stones, famous trees and rare flowers of Sanqing Mountain. For more information, download a detailed itinerary.

COORDINATORS

Tours for all families will be coordinated through Gladney China Heritage Tours, under the direction of Gongzhan Wu, Vice President and Managing Director of Gladney’s Asia Programs. In-China arrangements will be made by the Bridge of Love Adoption Service in Beijing. Gladney will help travelers gather the documentation required for in-China travel, visa application preparation and processing In addition, they will assist families who wish to extend their tour with a visit to Social Welfare Institutes or other sites in China.

If you have questions about the tour or the application process, please contact Gongzhan Wu at gongzhan.wu@gladney.org or Lydia Macci at chinaheritagetours@gladney.org.

More About Our Tours

Gladney China Heritage Tours include opportunities to visit some of China’s most magnificent historical sites. Among the highlights are the Great Wall and the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Li River in Guilin, Terra Cotta Soldiers in Xian, Mount Tai in Shandong, and Yellow Mountain in Anhui.

Tours are coordinated by Gongzhan Wu, also known as George Wu in the adoption community. Gongzhan is the Vice President and Managing Director at The Gladney Center for Adoption. He and his experienced staff have successfully facilitated Chinese adoptions for over 15 years.

Gongzhan's respected reputation in the Chinese adoption community, care and dedication to adoptive families, knowledge of Chinese protocol and governmental regulations, and most importantly, his personal contacts in China, give him the unique ability to create customized heritage tours that best meet the needs of adoptive families. Working with an established network of travel professionals in China, Gladney’s staff will create a memorable heritage tour.

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NEWS Wuhan Reunion Tour

The Wuhan Children's Welfare Institute (CWI) in Hubei, China has announced a subsidized Reunion Tour open to all children adopted through their institute. This unique opportunity for adopted children and their families will take place from July 10 through July 17, 2013. It includes sightseeing and cultural activities in Beijing and Wuhan. Optional extended tours to Xi’an or Shanghai are also available from July 17 through July 20. The full itinerary with costs is here.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) is granting, through China Center for Children’s Welfare and Adoption (CCCWA), $800 toward the tour fee for all Wuhan Chinese adoptees attending the program. Subsidies are available for a maximum of 30 adoptive families.

This opportunity is open to all families with children adopted from Wuhan CWI regardless of agency or facilitator.

COORDINATORS

Tours for all families with U.S. citizenship will be coordinated through Gladney China Heritage Tours, under the direction of Gongzhan Wu, Vice President and Managing Director of Gladney’s Asia Programs. In-China arrangements will be made by the Bridge of Love Adoption Service (BLAS) in Beijing.

APPLICATION

Download an application here. Instructions are included. Return it as soon as possible to receive a confirmation letter detailing your specific tour information.

If you have questions about the application process, please send your name and email address to chinaheritagetours@gladney.org.

LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR

Director Lily Peng has written a welcoming letter to children who were adopted from Wuhan Children's Welfare Institute.

Waiting Child Adoption

Many children in China and Taiwan are waiting for parents and families. Gladney has an outstanding waiting child adoption program, which you can learn more about here.