Hand-drawn map of hometown helps man reunite with family after 33 years

Thirty-three years after he was abducted, a man finally reunited with his family, thanks to a hand-drawn map of his hometown. 

On the first day of the new year, Li Jingwei saw his mother again in Lankao, Central China's Henan province. "I never thought I'd see you again," said Li's mother, hugging her son.

Li was abducted from his hometown in Zhaotong in the southwestern Yunnan province at the age of 4. He was taken to a family in Lankao, a city 1,600 kilometers away from his hometown.

Encouraged by news of other abducted children getting reunited with their families, Li posted a video clip looking for his family on a video-sharing platform on Dec 15, in which he showed a map portraying the landscape of his hometown that he drew based on his memory.

Li said he thought it would take several years to find his family. To his surprise, shortly afterwards, he received clues about his mother.

Following the clues, the police found Li's mother in Zhoukou of Henan province where she lives now, and confirmed her identity through a DNA test.

Li said from the day of his abduction, he often drew pictures of his hometown on the ground with a stick so as not to forget his birthplace.

"I didn't expect to find my family so soon," Li said. "When I saw my family on the first day of the new year, I felt like I was born again." Li also saw his younger brother and sister on the day of reunion.

From January to November, China's public security bodies resolved over 290 child abduction cases, and found 8,307 children under a campaign to locate missing people that was launched at the beginning of 2021, according to the Ministry of Public Security.