A hand-drawn map reunites an abducted man with his family after 33 years

On New Year day, Li Jingwei saw his family for the first time in over three decades.

abducted man united with family after 33 years, good news, china, indian express

When Li Jingwei was just four years old he was abducted and sold to another family that wanted a son. (Source: China Daily)

When Li Jingwei was just four years old, he was abducted and sold to another family that wanted a son. He was sent to Lankao that was 1,600 kilometres away from his hometown of Zhaotong. However, Li Jingwei retained the memory of his hometown by remembering its rough map.

In December last year, he shared a video on Douyin (internationally known as TikTok), a video sharing app. In the video, he shared the map and said, “This is a map of my home area that I have drawn from memory”, while adding, “I’m a child who’s finding his home.”

You can watch the video here: https://www.douyin.com/video/7045159024525905183

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Soon his video went viral and people came with many leads that helped the police track his mother to Zhoukou city of Henan province. They confirmed their findings with a DNA test and Li Jingwei was finally able to meet his family on 1 January 2021.

“I didn’t expect to find my family so soon. When I saw my family on the first day of the new year, I felt like I was born again,” Li said after he met his family. Li’s story is an example of how the internet can help unite long-lost family members, even when the chances are bleak.