The Mothers' Bridge of Love (MBL) - 母爱桥

19/06/2026

Some festivals arrive with dates.

Others arrive with memories.

The Dragon Boat Festival often returns through small things: the scent of bamboo leaves, a familiar recipe, a story told at the table, or a tradition repeated without much explanation.

Children may not remember the history at first. But years later, they often remember who prepared the food, who gathered everyone together, and how a season felt.

Perhaps this is one of the quiet powers of festivals.

They give ordinary days a shape that can be remembered.

Wishing everyone a peaceful Dragon Boat Festival, wherever and however you are celebrating. 🌿

#端午

09/06/2026

🌏 MBL Adoption Dialogue – Series 10
Lucky, Unlucky, or Somewhere in Between?
A Special Session for Adoptees

People often say adoptees are “lucky”.

But life is rarely that simple.

For the 10th edition of the Mothers' Bridge of Love Adoption Dialogue, we are centring the voices of adoptees themselves — creating space to explore identity, belonging, memory, and growing up across cultures.

This session brings together speakers with very different life journeys:

✨ Shen Yang — author of More Than One Child, reflecting on childhood inside China during the One Child Policy era
✨ Shaosheen — UK-based Chinese adoptee and creator of Not Made in China
✨ Cat — PhD researcher exploring the lived experiences of British Chinese adoptees

The Q&A will be co-hosted by Hannah-Mei from CACH-All, a Chinese adoptee and advocate supporting intercountry adoptees and families in the UK.

Together, we hope to move beyond simple labels and listen to stories in all their complexity.

📅 14 June 2026
🕒 15:00–16:30 (UK)
📍 Online via Zoom
🌐 English with Chinese interpretation

Join us for this conversation.

https://www.mothersbridge.org/blog/mbl-adoption-dialogue-series-10-a-special-session-for-adoptees

Perhaps adoption is not simply lucky or unlucky.
Perhaps what matters most is whether we are willing to listen.

THEME for 2026 Lucky, Unlucky, or Somewhere in Between?

05/06/2026

There is a moment every year when the fields are both ending and beginning.

The grain is ready to be gathered, and at the same time, new seeds are already waiting to enter the soil.

That moment is called Mangzhong (芒种).

It may be one of the busiest seasons in the traditional calendar, yet there is nothing hurried about it. Things happen because their time has come.

Life often feels different. We wait to feel ready. We tell ourselves we will begin after everything else is finished.

But perhaps seasons have something to teach.

Some endings create space. Some beginnings arrive before we expect them. And sometimes, it is possible to carry both at once.

🌱 Wishing you a season of trusting what is growing, even if not everything is visible yet.

#芒种

21/05/2026

There is a Chinese solar term called Xiaoman (小满).

Literally, it means “small fullness”.

In the fields, the grain has begun to fill, but it is not yet ready for harvest. The season pauses in a moment that is neither beginning nor completion.

Perhaps that is why Xiaoman has resonated with people for centuries.

Not everything needs to be finished to be valuable.

A child learning to read. A friendship slowly taking shape. A family finding its rhythm. A dream that is still becoming reality.

Some of life's most meaningful things exist in this state of “not yet”.

As spring turns towards summer, Xiaoman offers a gentle reminder: growth does not need to be rushed, and not every journey needs to end before it can be appreciated.

🌱 Sometimes, it is enough to recognise that something beautiful is already growing.

#小满

11/05/2026

🌸 When Childhood Wears History 🌸

From January to March 2026, the Chinese Ethnic Minority Children's Costume Exhibition at Charing Cross Library welcomed visitors into a world woven from childhood, maternal love, and cultural memory.

Jointly organised by The Mothers' Bridge of Love and Charing Cross Library, the exhibition featured sixteen sets of children’s costumes representing a wide range of China’s ethnic minority cultures, including Miao, Tibetan, Mongol, Bai, D**g, Hani, and many others. Through embroidery, batik, silver ornaments, brocade weaving, and traditional tailoring, visitors discovered how history, blessing, and identity are lovingly stitched into children’s clothing across generations.

One of the exhibition's highlights was the Chinese New Year Family Cultural Day on 22 February, where around 1,000 people took part in lion dances, calligraphy, paper cutting, reading activities, author signings, and children’s ethnic costume showcases. As children stepped onto the stage in traditional dress, the garments seemed to come alive once again through movement, laughter, and joy.

For many families and visitors, the exhibition became more than a cultural display. It became a shared space of warmth, curiosity, and connection, where people from different backgrounds could meet through art, heritage, and childhood.

👧🧒 When children wear traditional dress, they wear not only colour and craftsmanship, but also history, blessing, and a childhood protected by love.

Thank you to everyone who visited, participated, and supported this special exhibition.

https://www.mothersbridge.org/blog/when-childhood-wears-history-mbls-chinese-ethnic-minority-childrens-costume-exhibition-concludes-successfully

From 26 January to 30 March 2026, the Chinese Ethnic Minority Children’s Costume Exhibition, jointly organised by The Mothers’ Bridge of Love (MBL) and Charing Cross Library in London, was successfully held at Charing Cross Library. As an important part of the 2025–2026 Joint Exhibition Progra...

11/05/2026

What begins as a university tree-planting programme soon turns into something far stranger. In The Seven Days of Planting, a young participant is drawn into seven unsettling days of memory, conscience, and revelation — where the trees may be observing humanity more closely than humanity observes them.

Blending psychological suspense with environmental reflection, this haunting short story asks a timeless question: if the Earth could judge us, what would it see?

👉 Read the full story on the MBL website: https://www.mothersbridge.org/blog/the-seven-days-of-planting

By Jin Dui at Bearnock Country Centre, Drumnadrochit

10/05/2026

🌷 Happy Mother’s Day from The Mothers' Bridge of Love 🌷

Today, we celebrate the many forms that love and care can take.

Motherhood may be found in birth mothers, adoptive mothers, grandmothers, caregivers, and all those who quietly nurture, guide, and protect others through everyday acts of kindness and patience.

At The Mothers' Bridge of Love (MBL), we have seen how care shapes lives across cultures and generations. A gentle word, a listening ear, or simply being present can become the foundation from which children grow with confidence and belonging.

On this Mother’s Day, we send our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who gives love, support, and comfort to others.

May you feel appreciated, understood, and surrounded by warmth today and always. 💛

Happy Mother's Day. 🌷

05/05/2026

What gives literature its deepest power — grand ideas, or the ordinary rhythms of life?

In "The Vitality of Everyday Life and Cultural Roots", acclaimed writer Xuemo reflects on Shakespeare, Tolstoy, identity, migration, and the importance of staying rooted in one's culture while embracing the wider world.

Written as the epilogue to "Haha! Britain", this thoughtful essay reminds us that true cultural exchange begins not in slogans, but in everyday life: how people live, what they love, what they read, and how they care for one another.

Xuemo also pays heartfelt tribute to the Mothers' Bridge of Love, recognising the organisation as a living bridge between East and West.

At a time when the world can feel divided, his message is simple yet profound: the universal language of humanity is wisdom and love.

https://www.mothersbridge.org/hahabritain/the-vitality-of-everyday-life-and-cultural-roots-

📘 "Haha! Britain" is available at:
• Daunt Books Marylebone
• Guanghwa Bookshop
• Book Fan

Read more on the MBL website.

Written by: Xuemo | 雪漠 Translated by: Kaidi Lyu Editor’s Note: This article is excerpted from Haha! Britain — a charitable bilingual publication co-produced by The Mothers’ Bridge of Love (MBL) and River Cam Breeze . The book is a lively collaboration between 42 Chinese authors living i

05/05/2026

Today marks Beginning of Summer (立夏) — a gentle turning point when spring gives way to a season of fuller light and steady warmth. 🌿

The days grow longer, the air feels brighter, and everything begins to stretch outward with quiet confidence.

For children, growth often follows this same rhythm — not always sudden, but sustained, shaped by time, care, and encouragement. For families, it is a reminder that being present, listening, and offering steady support can make all the difference.

At The Mothers’ Bridge of Love (MBL), we believe that understanding grows through patience and connection. May this Beginning of Summer bring you warmth, energy, and the reassurance that growth is unfolding in its own time. 💛

#立夏

01/05/2026

Spring is quietly growing in London. 🌿🎨

We were delighted to celebrate the opening of Traces of Spring: Paintings by Daniel Lee and His Students, presented by The Mothers’ Bridge of Love and Charing Cross Library Westminster City Archives.

Featuring acclaimed artist and educator Daniel Lee alongside 32 student artists, this special exhibition is a celebration of creativity, mentorship, personal growth, and the beauty of cultural exchange.

From moving speeches to guided tours of the artworks, the opening event reminded us that art is not distant. It belongs to children, families, professionals, dreamers, and anyone seeking a moment of reflection.

📍 Charing Cross Library Westminster City Archives, London
📅 Exhibition runs until 3 July 2026

Visitors are also welcome to purchase artworks from the exhibition through our online store, with proceeds supporting MBL’s charitable work.

Come and discover spring through colour, light, and imagination. Perhaps you will see spring. Perhaps you will see yourself. 💛

https://www.mothersbridge.org/blog/traces-of-spring-opens-in-london-watching-art-grow-quietly

In April, London carries the scent of leaves just awakening, and the gentle brightness of sunlight returning to the city. On 25 April, Traces of Spring: Paintings by Daniel Lee and His Students , jointly presented by the Mothers’ Bridge of Love and Charing Cross Library, welcomed its opening cerem