American William W. Graessley is employed as a senior environmental, health and safety adviser for the CACT Operators Group based in Shekou.

He and his wife live in Shekou where they have set up home with their recently adopted daughter.

"Our dream is to have two daughters, within two to three years of each other," Graessley said.

"We feel the world has a lot of people and our first choice is to adopt children who are already in the world and need parents."

In December 2002 Graessley and his wife submitted an application to adopt a baby girl to the China Center for Adoption Affairs in Beijing. They were told to expect a referral for a child after about eight months.

On the morning of April 27 this year, the door bell rang at the Graessley's home in Shekou. There was an EMS special delivery man with an envelope.

"We opened the envelope together and there was a picture of Xu Xiaying, our daughter who was living at an orphanage in Shanghai. We were very happy and excited," he said.

The couple met and accepted the little Chinese girl in Shanghai. They gave her an English name, Sarah. "She is very happy and healthy. She was obviously well cared for in the orphanage and continues to thrive now that she has two devoted parents," Graessley said.

The couples are studying Chinese culture and have insisted that their Chinese friends speak only Chinese with Sarah.

"There are many Americans who love Chinese culture and many Chinese-Americans like Sarah who want to learn more about their heritage," Graessley said.

(Shenzhen Daily July 25, 2003)