Chongqing Search Videos

 
 
 

About This Initiative

Nanchang Project is now accepting submissions for our free Chongqing Search Video initiative. We have partnered with a trusted, bilingual volunteer based in Chongqing who has generously committed time to create and publish search videos for adoptees from any area of Chongqing. In recent years, it has become increasingly difficult for people living outside of China to create and maintain accounts on major Chinese social media platforms. By publishing directly within China on Douyin (Chinese TikTok) and WeChat Channels, we aim to help adoptees expand their reach and increase the likelihood of connecting with new birth families for DNA testing. This service is completely free.

What is a Search Video?

A search video is a short, personal introduction designed to be shared widely on Chinese social media.

Your completed video will:

  • Be approximately 1 minute long

  • Include a short clip of you speaking about yourself and your search

  • Include several photos you provide

  • Feature Chinese subtitles translating what you say

  • Highlight key identifying details (estimated birth date, finding date, finding location, etc.)

You may speak in Mandarin, English, or your native language. Chinese subtitles will be added so viewers in China can understand your message.

How This Works

Step 1: Submit required materials

  • Email us all required materials (see below).

Step 2: Confirmation

  • We will confirm receipt within 7 days by replying directly to your email. If you do not receive a response within 7 days, please send a follow-up.

Step 3: Queue placement

  • Submissions are reviewed in the order received. Once you receive confirmation by email, you are officially in the queue. Please be patient. Depending on the number of submissions ahead of you, it may take several weeks or months before your video is completed.

Step 4: Video creation

  • Our Chongqing-based bilingual volunteer will create the final video using your submitted video and photos, adding Chinese subtitles, and adding important identifying details in text format

Step 5: Publication

  • Once complete, your video will be published to two Chinese social media platforms, Douyin (Chinese TikTok) and WeChat Channels, inviting anyone with useful information to contact us. We will email you a link to your posted video on Douyin. WeChat Channels does not provide shareable links, but the video content will be identical.

Step 6: Comment monitoring

  • Our bilingual volunteer will monitor comments and direct messages. If anyone comes forward with potentially useful information or as a possible biological relative, we will notify you immediately—even if it is years after publication. All potential birth families will be offered a free DNA test.

  • If you do not hear from us, it means we do not have any updates. Please do not request status updates, as this slows down our small team and delays videos for other adoptees.

Step 7: DNA and potential matches

  • In the case of a potential match, all DNA comparisons will take place on GEDmatch.com. Adoptees need only to upload their raw data from 23andMe, AncestryDNA, MyHeritage, or FTDNA, and enable matching with other kits. Nanchang Project provides free matches to adoptees who match with a birth parent, sibling, aunt/uncle, grandparent, or first cousin. You can find instructions on using GEDmatch here and also read more information about DNA testing options here.

Donations

We are able to offer these search videos as a free service to our Chongqing adoptee community because our work is 100% volunteer-led. We welcome donations in any amount (even $5 helps!), so that we can continue offering a free DNA test to ALL birth families who come forward after seeing these videos. It costs our organization approximately $130 USD to register each birth family, which adds up quickly. If you would like to donate, please visit our donation page or use the following options. Thank you so much!

Required Materials

  • Certificate of Abandonment (this won’t be published anywhere, but the “abandonment” details are important for us to have on hand in case potential families or nannies/foster families contact us about you)—you can view an example of this document here. You should have two white booklets, one in Chinese and one translated. If you have both the original Chinese booklet and the translated version, please send a photo of both. They should look like this linked sample.

  • Pictures of adoptee throughout the years:

    • Youngest (in color)

    • Childhood photo

    • Current photo

    • Family photo

  • Short Introduction video (45 second max)of the adoptee introducing themself and saying:

    • Please say:

      • Your current first name

      • Your estimated birth date (month and year is okay)

      • Where you were found

      • Country you were adopted to

      • Why you want to find your birth family

    • Filming Guidelines:

      • Film in portrait/vertical mode

      • Do NOT use the selfie camera

      • Use good natural lighting (outdoor filming recommended)

      • Use a simple background

      • Film at the highest quality possible

      • Keep it within 45 seconds

      You may speak in Mandarin, English, or your native language.

  • Transcript:

    • Type exactly what you say in your video in the original spoken language. Include this in the body of your email message so we can forward it for accurate translation.

How to Submit

Email all required materials to:

hello@nanchangproject.com

Subject line:

Chongqing Search Video – [ADD Adoptee’s Full Name]

Your submission must include: Certificate of Abandonment, photos, video file, and typed transcript. Incomplete submissions will not be added to the queue.

 
 

Chongqing Search Video FAQ

  • Any adoptee is eligible, regardless of:

    • Age

    • Gender

    • Country of residence

    To qualify, the adoptee must have been found in or adopted from Chongqing (including any district or county within Chongqing municipality).

  • Thanks to volunteers committing their own personal time, there is no required cost to adoptees for video creation, publication, or comment monitoring. If possible, a donation in any amount for your participation (even $5 USD helps!) is highly appreciated, so that we can afford to offer free DNA tests to birth families. It costs NCPT $130 USD to register each new family.

  • It depends on the number of submissions ahead of you. It may take several weeks or several months. As long as you received confirmation by email that we received your materials, you are in the queue.

  • We are unable to respond to requests for an update. If you have received written confirmation for your submission, you are in line. Requesting updates slows down our small team and delays other adoptees’ videos.

  • You are welcome to share your Douyin (TikTok) link once it is live. However, most people living outside China cannot successfully create or maintain verified Douyin accounts, which is why this initiative exists.

  • We will:

    1. Carefully review the information

    2. Offer free DNA testing

    3. Notify you immediately

    No identifying information will be shared without DNA confirmation.

  • You need a DNA test from one of the following companies:

    • 23andMe

    • AncestryDNA

    • MyHeritage

    • FTDNA

    You must upload your raw data to GEDmatch and enable matching. We have a GEDmatch Mini Guide you can follow.

  • Please email us to discuss your situation before submitting. While this document is strongly preferred, we understand that not all adoptees have full documentation and can discuss your options.

  • Videos will remain published indefinitely unless there is a compelling safety or privacy reason to remove them, or if the platform removes the video.

  • We will still notify you. Our volunteer plans to continue monitoring messages long-term.

NCPT Background

Nanchang Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2018, fully operated by volunteers. Our mission is to help re-connect adoptees with their roots in China. To date, we have assisted in over 130 reunions and registered 700+ birth families. Our team consists of volunteers across 6 countries. We are proudly also the only organization of its kind that is co-led by both Chinese adoptees and adoptive parents.


We are able to offer these search videos as a free service to our Chongqing adoptee community because our work is 100% volunteer-led. We welcome donations in any amount (even $5 helps!), so that we can continue offering a free DNA test to ALL birth families who come forward after seeing these videos. It costs our organization approximately $130 USD to register each birth family, which adds up quickly. If you would like to donate, please visit our donation page. Thank you so much!

Donate

For questions related to the Chongqing search video opportunity, please direct your emails to hello@nanchangproject.com.