Story By: John Feng, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report
AsiaWire / Wuzhong PSB
This is the moment a man is reunited with his mother for the first time in nearly four decades after a blood sample taken when he was caught drink-driving helped police find a DNA match.
Wang Xiaolin, 40, was abducted from the city of Wuzhon, in north-western China’s Ningxia region, 38 years ago on 17th April 1982.
The two-year-old was whisked away and sold as an orphan to a couple in the coastal city of Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province in East China, where he lived under his new name ‘Xu Dalei’.
His biological mother, Yang Guihua, had two more children but said she never gave up the search for her firstborn, even after her husband passed away last year with no closure.
A turning point in the near four-decade search came in December 2019 when authorities in Hangzhou contacted Wuzhong police about the unsolved missing person case.
Mr Wang’s blood, which was taken as part of a toxicology report following a drink-driving offence in December 2015, matched DNA samples given by his parents in 2010.
The discovery led police in Hangzhou and Wuzhong to contact Mr Wang and his mother Ms Yang for further tests.
A reunion was arranged for 16th March after the tests conclusively proved that they were indeed long-lost mother and son.
Mr Wang, who married at 16 and now has his own children, returned to his hometown for a tearful reunion with his mother, and his younger sister and brother Wang Xiaomei and Wang Xiaobao.
He said: “I had imagined what it would be like to be reunited with my parents. But at that very moment, I didn’t know what else to do besides cry.
“I could barely walk. It’s been more than 30 years. I was very emotional. It’s impossible to describe.
“Police in Hangzhou matched my blood sample with DNA information provided by my parents 10 years ago.
“My sister and brother are treating me very well. I don’t know what I’ll do next.
“My father passed away last year. I still have to visit his grave.
“I’ve not thought of what to do beyond that.
“My foster parents have treated me well all these years. I’m married and have children.”
Ms Yang told local media: “I’ve been searching for my son for 38 years. I’m grateful to his foster parents for their love and care.
“My son is back.”
Neither Hangzhou nor Wuzhong police have commented on whether any charges could or would be brought against Mr Wang’s adoptive parents for purchasing him as a toddler.
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