In September 1997, Guo Gang’s life changed forever when his two-year-old son was kidnapped while playing outside their home in China’s Shandong province.
After local searches failed to find any trace, Guo left his job and devoted his life to finding his son. He traveled across China on motorcycles, carrying his son’s photographs and identification details and showing them to people at bus stations, railway stations, towns and villages.
His search continued for 24 years. During that time, Guo reportedly traveled nearly 500,000 kilometers, used around 10 motorcycles and spent almost all his savings. Despite accidents, financial difficulties and countless disappointments, he never gave up hope.
Over the years, Guo also began helping other families search for their missing children. His extraordinary journey later inspired the Chinese film Lost and Love.
The breakthrough finally came in 2021. Police used facial-recognition technology to identify a 26-year-old man whose features appeared to match those of Guo’s missing son. A DNA test later confirmed the emotional truth: the young man was Guo’s son, who had been missing for 24 years.
On July 11, 2021, Guo and his wife finally met their son again. After decades of waiting, the mother embraced him, while Guo held his long-lost child in his arms.
A father had spent 24 years searching, traveled hundreds of thousands of kilometers and refused to give up.
In the end, technology found the lead—but it was a father’s unwavering hope that kept the search alive.
