A father in China who was reunited with his son after 22 years, then urged him to leave his rich adoptive family and call him “dad” has been blocked by his biological offspring online.
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The father, Lei Wuze, 55, and his wife once lived in a goods transit station in Yueyang, Hunan province in central China.
Despite their modest income, life was happy until their three-year-old son, Chuanchuan, was abducted in 2001 by an unknown man during a trip with a neighbour.
The devastated couple launched a 22-year search for their son, travelling across China, connecting with more than 300 police officers, and keeping a notebook with more than 2,000 leads.
Lei supported his family by selling alcohol and software, offered a 250,000 yuan (US$34,000) reward and spent more than a million yuan (US$137,000) on the search.
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He shared his experience online and attracted more than 150,000 followers. His story was also made into a documentary by the state broadcaster, CCTV.