Chinese father reunited with abducted son after 24-year search

A Chinese man who spent 24-years travelling around the country searching for his abducted son has finally been reunited with him. 

Guo Gantang’s two-year-old son Guo Xinzhen was taken by human traffickers in 1997 from outside their home in Shandong province. 

Armed with a few pictures of Guo Xinzhen, Guo Gantang began to search for him on a journey that covered over 500,000 kilometres,  21 provinces and took almost a quarter of a century. 

Along the way he suffered broken bones and got through 10 motorbikes, the South China Morning Post reported, but he never gave up on his quest. 

The search also inspired the 2015 movie Lost Love, starring Hong Kong actor Andy Lau, who waived his fee for the role. 

In 2012, Guo set up a website "Tianya Xunqin" which translates as "Find your family on the edge of the world". 

It has since helped dozens of people locate family members, The South China Morning Post reported.

Chinese broadcaster CCTV reported the boy was kidnapped by a couple who then sold him. 

Guo's son was found after the Ministry of Public Security launched a nationwide campaign in January 2020 called Operation Reunion to solve cold cases involving child abduction.

Police in June tracked down a man fitting his son's description in central Henan province, Xinhua news agency reported. 

After a DNA test confirming the relationship, a family reunion with his son now a 26-year-old teacher, was arranged on Sunday.

"I've found my son, and I want to get back to normal life as soon as possible," Guo said in a video on his Tiktok social media page. 

The South China Morning Post reported since Operation Reunion was launched 2609 abducted children had been located, with one case from 61 years ago.