The 22-year-old girl was born in China, but Huang Yueyu living in the United States could hardly speak any Chinese.

On Thursday, the western Thanksgiving Day, she returned to the children's welfare homes in Zhanjiang of south China's Guangdong Province, where she was adopted in 1987.

She wrote the Chinese characters meaning love and thanks on the signing board. "Zhanjiang is my hometown forever," she said.

Huang, whose first name in English was Cory, was among more than 80 people from 26 households in the United States and Canada coming back for root-seeking.

In the courtyard decorated with festive red lanterns, the delegates wore the coats on which there wrote "world as home, root in China."

"I was just ten-month old when I was adopted, so I had no memory about my hometown, until four years ago when I first came back," Huang said.

At that time, she was totally at a loss.

"Although I grew up like the kids there, I couldn't speak any Chinese then," she recalled.

After that she made friends with many Asian girls and her foster mom encouraged her to learn Chinese. "This time I feel more melted in China and I am proud of being a Chinese."

Looking at the young people adopted by foreigners, the nursery governesses had mixed feelings, some of whom had tears in their eyes.

"When they were kids, some of them loved dancing, some laughed all day." recalled Li Yarong. A list in her hand kept the details of the kids she had taken care of.

"I made beds for them and tended them until they fell asleep, just like their parents," she said. "Now they have grown up and are so tall."

"Thanks to the foreign parents, who gave the kids a home," said Su Musheng, head of the nursery house.

The children's foreign parents also expressed their gratitude.

An American mother Vickie Bennett said, "today is our traditional Thanksgiving Day, an occasion on which we thank those who had helped us."

"Thanks to those who had tended my children. Thanks to the children who let us know how wonderful it is to be parents. I do love them."

Also on Thursday, Huanggang city of central China's Hubei Province received 12 root-seeking kids and their families.

Chen Wenjie, director of the children department of the Women's Federation in Wuhan, Hubei's capital, was happy for the children.

"Due to the limit of resources and personnel, services by nursery houses couldn't be that considerate," he said.

Therefore, giving the orphans a home could let them feel the warmth of family and grow up normally like other kids, he believed.