In 1997, the lives of Guo Gangtang and his wife were turned upside down after their two-year-old son was kidnapped by human traffickers outside their home in Shandong, China.
Father reunited with kidnapped son after 24-year search
Gangtang has spent the past 24 years traveling more than 300,000 miles on motorcycles, sleeping under bridges and spending his family’s savings to find his son.
Gangtang traveled more than 20 provinces in search of his son, broke bones, encountered highway robbers and crashed 10 motorcycles into the ground.
During this time, Gangtang was able to reunite more than seven abducted children with their parents, but he still could not find his own son.
He grew up in Henan and was found to still be living there, and had graduated from college to become a teacher.
Guo told the South China Morning Post, “They have found my son. The future is full of happiness. God treats us with kindness.”
During the reunion footage, Xinzhen’s mother could be heard saying, “My baby, you’re back!” Following the news that Xinzhen had been found, Lau said in a short video that he was “happy and excited” about the family’s reunion, according to the South China Morning Post.
He added: “I would like to tell Brother Guo that I admire his persistence. I would also like to salute the police authority for their years of efforts.”
Gangtang’s quest to reunite with his son served as the inspiration for a 2015 film called Lost and Love, starring one of Hong Kong’s most successful movie stars, Andy Lau.
