The Book of Secrets: Family, Memory, and the Cost of Silence in Modern China

Acclaimed writer and broadcaster Xinran will present a public talk in Lewes on 17 January, based on her book The Book of Secrets. Drawing on private letters and diaries, the talk explores how family memory, love, loyalty, and silence unfold under the pressures of modern Chinese history, followed by a live Q&A.

The Invisible Mother

In The Invisible Mother, MBL volunteer Jin Dui reflects on a home-visit assessment that praised a father’s involvement while rendering a mother’s daily labour invisible. Through a quiet yet powerful moment of correction, the essay explores how institutional language shapes our understanding of care, responsibility, and whose contributions are seen — reminding us that making mothers visible often begins with naming what has long been taken for granted.

Bridging Hearts and Cultures: Stories of Love, Identity, and Belonging | An Online Public Talk with Xinran

 On 20 March 2026, Xinran, founder of The Mothers’ Bridge of Love, will give an online public talk hosted by the Online Confucius Institute at The Open University. Drawing on two decades of work with adopted children and families, she will share moving reflections on identity, belonging, and how empathy can bridge cultures and shape more inclusive futures.

When Writing Illuminates One Another | A Recap of MBL’s 8th Adoption Dialogue — When Daughters of the Bamboo Grove Meets Message from an Unknown Chinese Mother

MBL’s 8th Adoption Dialogue brought together writers Barbara Demick and Xinran for a thoughtful conversation on Chinese adoption, writing, and listening. Moving beyond their books Daughters of the Bamboo Grove and Message from an Unknown Chinese Mother, the dialogue explored overlooked complexities in adoption narratives and centred adoptees’ voices. Through respectful exchange and shared reflection, the forum highlighted that healing begins not with easy answers, but with allowing truth, complexity, and care.

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