Father reunited with son abducted 24 YEARS ago after 300,000-mile hunt
Moment parents are reunited with son who was abducted 24 YEARS ago aged two after father travelled more than 300,000 miles around China searching for him
- Guo Gangtang’s son was abducted outside his home in Shandong in 1997
- The two-year-old was sold into adoption and grew up in Henan province
- Mr Guo spent his life savings and slept under bridges during his 24-year search
- Police tracked down the son using DNA and the family were reunited on Sunday
A Chinese father has finally been reunited with his son who was abducted by traffickers 24 years ago.
Guo Gangtang’s son Guo Xinzhen was snatched aged two in front of the family’s home in Shandong province in 1997.
The 51-year-old has travelled 310,000 miles around China for the past two decades trying to find his son and his search even inspired the 2015 film Lost and Love starring Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau.
The alleged abductors had planned to kidnap a child with the intention of selling him for money.
Police finally tracked him down using DNA and the family reunited on Sunday in emotional scenes.
A Chinese father has been reunited with his son who was abducted by traffickers 24 years ago after travelling 310,000 miles around China on a motorbike to find him
Guo Xinzhen’s mother wept when she was reunited with the son who now works as a teacher in Henan province
There were emotional scenes when the father and son reunited after 24 years in China on Sunday
Guo Gangtang’s son was snatched aged two in front of the family’s home in Shandong province in 1997
Mr Guo (pictured in 2010) had travelled to more than 20 provinces around China on a motorbike with banners featuring his son’s picture chasing tip-offs for the past 24 years
Mr Guo had travelled to more than 20 provinces around China on a motorbike chasing tip-offs for the past 24 years.
During the search, he has broken bones, been involved in accidents and even encountered highway robbers.
The father carried around pictures of his son on banners at the bike of his motorbikes, ten of which have been damaged during his mission.
Mr Guo spent his life-savings on the hunt, sleeping under bridges and begging for money, and he has also helped seven other parents reunite with their abducted children.
He became a prominent member of missing-persons organisations in China, where child abductions are a major problem with thousands taken every year.
Speaking after they reunited, Mr Guo said: ‘Now that the child has been found, everything can only be happy from now on.’
According to local reports, Guo Xinzhen graduated from university and is now working as a teacher.
The father has become a prominent member of missing-persons organisations in China and laid out scrolls featuring missing children
The 51-year-old’s decades-long search for Guo Xinzhen even inspired the 2015 film Lost and Love starring Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau (pictured)
Guo Xinzhen’s alleged abductors, Mr Hu and Ms Tang, who were dating at the time, spotted Mr Guo’s son playing outside his home in 1997.
Ms Tang grabbed him and took him to a bus station where Mr Hu was waiting, police said.
The couple then took a coach to Henan province where they sold him.
The son is still living in the province and was finally reunited with his father and mother after 24 years apart.
Mr Guo spent his life-savings on the hunt, sleeping under bridges and begging for money
Police tracked him down using DNA and the two suspects have also been identified and arrested.
Andy Lau also expressed his joy at the news, saying in a video online: ‘I admire your persistence and pay tribute to the years-long efforts of the public security department.’
An estimated 20,000 children are abducted every year in China with many sold into adoption.
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