The Invisible Red Thread
Each year, tens of thousands of girls are abandoned across China as a result of the nation’s one child policy, which was enacted in 1979. These young girls are often adopted by couples locally or from other countries, including Canada. Exploring the impact of international and local adoption in China, The Invisible Red Thread - the original OMNI Television, one-hour documentary - compares and contrasts the upbringing of two girls who were adopted because of the policy in the mid-1990s.
The Invisible Red Thread follows 15-year-old Vivian Lum as she travels back to her birth city in China’s southern Jiangxi Province to learn more about her homeland. While there, she meets 14-year-old Shumin Zhu who was adopted by a couple in rural China less than a year after her. Together the girls set out to compare their lives, discovering surprising similarities and differences along the way. Through Vivian and Shumin’s stories, the documentary explores the ripple effects of the one child policy within and outside of China.