E-Paper
Twins adopted by separate families become best friends then discover they’re sisters
Twin sisters in China, adopted by different families as newborns, became best friends at 17 before learning they were actually siblings.
In a story that reads like fate’s own script, twin sisters adopted by separate families in northern China unknowingly grew up just miles apart, only to become best friends at 17 and later discover they were actually siblings.
According to a report by the South China Morning Post, Zhang Guoxin and Hai Chao were given up for adoption at just 10 days old by parents who couldn’t afford to raise them. A condition of the adoption was that both girls had to be placed with families from the same city in Hebei province. Though raised separately with no knowledge of each other, destiny eventually brought them together.
Hai first heard from a classmate that a shop assistant in a local clothing store looked exactly like her. Curious, she went to see for herself. The moment she saw Zhang, she said she felt an instant connection.
What followed were a series of striking similarities. The girls shared the same birth date, narrowly survived serious illness at around 100 days old, had identical voices, had the same hairstyle, and even shared the same taste in food.
Friendship
Hai said they quickly became inseparable. “We became best friends and talked about everything,” she recalled.
Despite both adoptive families being aware that the girls were twins, they chose to keep the truth hidden out of fear that the sisters might be taken back by their birth parents. It wasn’t until 14 months after their friendship began that their families finally told them the truth: they were sisters.
To settle who would be the elder sister, the two played rock-paper-scissors. Zhang won. Coincidentally, their families later confirmed she had indeed been born first.
Even after discovering the truth, the coincidences kept coming. Without knowing the other’s plans, both women bought flats in nearby residential complexes. Now 37 years old, they each have children, both 13 years old, who were unknowingly assigned to the same class at school.
Hai shared that their children look so alike that teachers often can’t tell them apart during parent-teacher meetings. “Sometimes only one of us goes, and the teacher doesn’t notice the difference,” she said.
Today, the sisters manage a social media account with over 62,000 followers. They recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of their emotional reunion. “Every day of the past two decades was full of happiness. I am grateful to have met you. Let’s look forward to our next two decades,” they wrote in a heartfelt post.
