Chinese parents reunite their kidnapped son after 24 years

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BANGKOK (Associated Press) – After 24 years of heartache and searching, a Chinese couple is reunited with their son who was kidnapped when he was a toddler outside the front gate.

Guo Gang Tang and his wife, Zhang Wengyi, hugged their 26-year-old son with tears in their eyes Sunday at a meeting organized by police in their hometown of Liaocheng in eastern Shandong Province, according to a video recording released by police.

The story of their reunion after Guo traversed China by motorbike in search of his son and became an activist who helped police return other missing children to their parents led to an outpouring of public sympathy and condemnation of the kidnappings.

Police said Guo Shenzhen, then two and a half years old, was kidnapped by a woman and her boyfriend, who took him northwest to Hebei Province, which surrounds the Chinese capital, Beijing. From there, it was sold to a couple in central China.

Cases of child abduction for sale are reported regularly in China, although it is unclear how often.

The problem was exacerbated by restrictions that until 2015 allowed most couples in urban areas with only one child. Boys are sold to couples who want a son to take care of them in old age. Girls go to parents who want a maid or bride for an only son.

Police experts found Guo Xinzhen in June by searching databases for photos of people who appeared to be adults, according to a police ministry statement. His identity was confirmed by a DNA test.

The ministry said the woman and her boyfriend, identified only by the surname Tang Hu, had been arrested and had confessed to smuggling three boys. They have not yet been tried, but possible penalties may amount to death.

The Police Ministry said blood samples from Gu Shenzhen’s parents were added to the “anti-kidnapping DNA system,” but no matches were found for the boys believed to have been kidnapped.

Kidnappers target children who are too young to know their names or towns and sometimes even if they have been kidnapped.

“Very happy Mr. Guo,” said Ding Dalong’s post on the Zhihu social media platform. “He has found his long-lost son and can move on with his life.”

Others called for buyers of trafficked children to be punished. There was no information on whether the couple who purchased Guo Xinzhen would face penalties.

Guo Xinzhen grew up in Henan Province, according to the police, but no other details of his life were reported. It is not clear if he knew that he had been kidnapped.

His mother, Zhang, described her desperation in a 2015 TV interview.

“What is the use of living?” She said. “I’m the one who lost the baby.”

Guo Gangtang, 51, began his research carrying a flag bearing his son’s photo and details, including a “scar on his left little toe”.

Guo wrote on his social media account that he had worn 10 motorcycles in 30 out of 34 provinces and regions in China.

According to news reports, he runs a shop in Beijing that sells artwork. He received financial assistance from his father, who continued to work until his seventies, and from his other relatives.

Guo started a website in 2012 and a charity in 2014 to help other parents of abducted children, according to news reports.

“Thank you for participating in anti-trafficking activities for 24 years and helping more than 100 children return home,” the Police Ministry said on its social media account.

Guo’s research inspired the 2015 film “Lost and Love” by Sanyuan Ping and starring Hong Kong heartthrob Andy Lau.

The character based on Guo was quoted as saying in the movie trailer, “It’s only when I’m on the road that I feel like a father.”

The couple had two more sons, but reporters said Guo wanted them to believe that Xinjin was the only child. This would add to the emotional impact of his research.

In a video on his social media account, Guo said he was exhausted from the public’s interest and did not want to do more interviews.

In a 2015 TV interview, Guo said he nearly fell off a cliff when his motorcycle exploded in a rainstorm.

Guo Xinzhen said he will stay in Henan but plans to visit his biological parents regularly, according to news reports.

“He is a great father,” Guo Shenzhen was quoted as telling reporters. “I’m proud of him.”

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