To welcome and celebrate a new life, there is a tradition in the northern part of China to make a Bai Jia Bei, or 100 Good Wishes Quilt. It is a custom to invite 100 people to contribute a single square patch of cloth. The 100 patches are sewn together into a quilt that contains the luck, energy, and good wishes from all the families and friends who contributed a piece of fabric. The quilt is then passed down from generation to generation.
I haven't been able to find any reference to this tradition outside of the websites of adoptive parents or prospective adoptive parents. The website sited above admits that there is little information to be found about the tradition. Being half Taiwanese, I debated a long time on whether or not to make one of these quilts for my son. I didn't want to perpetuate the idea of a false Chinese tradition. However, I like the idea behind the wishes and I love to quilt. So many of our family members and friends have been excited about William's adoption. I thought it would be a nice way for everyone to express that enthusiasm. So, I decided to take this project on as a new tradition in the adoption community rather than as a Chinese tradition.
