A heartwarming story of reunion has unfolded in China, where a couple has been reunited with their son after 37 long years. The emotional journey began in 1986 when the couple’s third son was born in Weinan, Shaanxi province. However, burdened by poverty, the family made the heartbreaking decision to give the newborn away to a man named Zhao. The grandmother, acting on their behalf, made the arrangements without the parents’ knowledge.
The couple, Li and his wife, were only informed that Zhao was from Shandong province in eastern China and remained unaware of their son’s whereabouts. Despite their limited information, they never gave up hope of finding their child and spent 30 years searching for him. Their persistence finally paid off in February 2023 when a breakthrough came through a DNA database established by the Chinese Ministry of Public Security in 2009.
The database, which stores blood samples from families of missing children and adoptees, revealed a match between Li and his wife’s samples and those of a man named Pang residing in Zaozhuang city, Shandong province.
While the DNA match brought them closer to their son, the couple had to provide blood samples twice more to fulfill the Shaanxi police’s requirements before their parentage could be confirmed.
On August 3rd, 2023, the long-awaited reunion took place, filled with an outpouring of emotions. The couple embraced their son, expressing their regret for the years they were apart and asking, “Son, we’re sorry for everything. How have you been all these years?”
This extraordinary story is a testament to the power of hope, perseverance, and the advancements in technology that have made reuniting families possible. The DNA database, a tool initially designed to help solve missing persons cases, has played a significant role in bringing families together and offering them a chance to rewrite their shared history.
