Deaf Man Meets Family for the First Time After Being Abducted 25 Years Ago

Yu Zhongliang, who was only 14 when the incident occurred, had a very emotional meeting with his elderly mother and father for the first time on March 19, according to China News, as translated by Daily Mail.

Yu was separated from his family in 1993 during a trip to Shanghai, where he got lost and abducted by two deaf people at a train station.

The teenager suffered beating in the hands of the human traffickers when he refused to steal things such as clothes for them.

He eventually managed to escape the tight grip of his captors a few days after being abducted.

However, Yu’s struggle did not end after his escape. He lived on the streets of Yichang in Hubei Province for 10 years before moving to Xi’an, the capital of Shaanxi, where he learned sign language and how to polish shoes on the street to earn four yuan ($0.63) per day. Yu reportedly lived like this for another 15 years.

Yu had always wanted to find his parents during those 25 years.

On March 13, the man went to Hangzhou Metropolis Daily in China’s Zhejiang Province, remembering that the newspaper often runs a section that helps families locate and connect with missing relatives.

The only information he could remember was his home city of Hangzhou and that his village had water chestnuts growing in the fields. Investigators helped to narrow down the location he described in Jiaxing, an area known for water chestnuts.

The publication also ran his story on different news channels in an effort to help him find his family. Then, on March 17, they received a call from a woman, who turned out to be Yu’s sister, saying that her brother went missing 25 years ago.

Authorities confirmed that Yu was in fact the missing person after carrying a DNA test between the man and his parents. With their help, along with the local media, Yu was reunited with his relatives in Yangzhuang village on March 19.

Yu broke down and knelt in front of his elderly father to pay his respects during the emotional moment.

The family came back home so that Yu could meet his injured mother.

However, long years apart made Yu forget the face of his relatives as he reportedly had trouble identifying them. His sister had to introduce their father to him through sign language.

Everyone gathered to celebrate the return of Yu to his family with a feast.

In a similar story, twins who were separated 36 years ago after their biological parents gave them up for adoption finally reunited with the help of the authorities in Hangzhou.

Images via kuaibao.qq.com