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opinion that, in this way, it might be possible to introduce some system of approved adoption analogous to that existing in England to-day.
The ultimate goal should be approval or disapproval of every proposed adoption or other transaction before its completion.
This course is compatible with Chinese custom because approval by the Head of the family and village elders in domestic matters is an essential part of the Chinese social system. Registration in the family records is likewise familiar to them in family matters. Thus there would be little violence to custom in requiring approval and regis- tration of transactions relating to girls. The English system could not applied without modification to meet the conditions peculiar to Hong Kong and China.