A man abducted as a child in China more than 30 years ago has reunited with his parents after he was able to draw a map of his hometown from memory.
Li Jingwei was 4-years-old in 1988 when he was kidnapped by a man he knew from the village where he and his family lived.
His village was in the southwestern Yunnan province, and Jingwei was taken to central Henan province to live with another family, according to a state-run news outlet, The Paper.
Even as a child, Jingwei shared that he knew he had been taken from his home but could do nothing, The Paper reported.
Inevitably Jingwei grew up in the new village, but even after becoming an adult, he still could not return because he did not know the name he was born with, his parents' name, or the name of his village.
However, he shared that he did remember what his home village looked like, being able to recall where trees grew, the layout of roads and rivers, and where farmers grazed cows.
As a child, he said he would draw pictures of his village, especially whenever he was homesick or sad, ending up doing so once a day, The Paper reported.
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Child abduction has been a problem in China for a long time, according to experts, it was exacerbated by the country's old one-child policy. This resulted in many families in rural areas becoming victims of child abduction.
But in recent years, technology, social media, and police departments dedicated to the issue have helped adults abducted as children reunite with their birth families.
With recent success stories inspiring Jingwei to try and find his parents, he drew a map of his home village from memory and posted it online, hoping it would help him reunite with them.
The level of detail that he was able to put into his drawing was thanks to him practicing as a child. Because of the winding paths, houses, highways, and labels showing where water buffalo lived, the Ministry of Public Security started an investigation.
"So many years have passed, I don't know if anyone in my family is looking for me," Jingwei said in a video posted to the Chinese video platform Douyin, CNN reported. "I want to be able to see my parents again while they are still here."
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After going viral and being spread on social media, authorities were soon able to locate his suspected birth mother following the investigation. DNA tests were run and proved that the mother and son had been reunited.
After getting the results, Jingwei and his mother video chatted, and he said he recognized her face immediately.
"My mother and I have the same lips, even my teeth," he said.
Finally, on Jan.1, 2022, they were reunited at a police station in Henan.
The mother and son thanked the public security department for their part in the investigation and those who helped track down the village from his map. Jingwei shared he is planning on spending the Lunar New Year with his mother in February and return to his village to visit his birth father's grave.
