{"id":260428,"date":"2022-01-10T10:50:54","date_gmt":"2022-01-10T16:50:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=260428"},"modified":"2022-01-09T22:48:01","modified_gmt":"2022-01-10T04:48:01","slug":"man-abducted-child-china-mother-map","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/man-abducted-child-china-mother-map\/","title":{"rendered":"Man abducted as a child in China finds his mother with hand-drawn map"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The One-Child Policy in China led to numerous disastrous consequences. One of them, not often discussed, was child abduction. Son preference is prevalent in China, with families believing they are better able to provide for the elderly and can continue the family line. Therefore, it was often boys who were kidnapped, while infant girls were abandoned or placed for adoption. One of the kidnapped boys is Li Jingwei.<\/p>\n

Li’s story was profiled by CNN<\/a>. Kidnapped at four years old from his family’s village in southwestern Yunnan province, he grew up in central Henan province.<\/p>\n

In an interview with the Associated Press<\/a>, Li recalled the memories of his abduction. He said he was lured away by a bald man, who promised him the chance to see some cars, which were rare in his rural village. Instead, he was taken behind a hill, where a group of men on bicycles were waiting. \u201cI wanted to go home but they didn\u2019t allow that,\u201d he said. \u201cTwo hours later, I knew I wouldn\u2019t be going back home and I must have met bad people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Li was then sold to another family.<\/p>\n

Despite the trauma and his young age, Li did<\/em> remember was what his village looked like, and he drew it frequently. Eventually, those drawings helped to reunite him with his mother. After drawing a map from memory, he posted it on Chinese social media site Douyin and begged for help.<\/p>\n

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Screenshot of Li Jingwei’s hand drawn map<\/p><\/div>\n

“So many years have passed, I don’t know if anyone in my family is looking for me,” he said. “I want to be able to see my parents again while they are still here.”<\/p>\n

The plea went viral, with even the Ministry of Public Security getting involved. The woman believed to be Li’s mother was found, in Zhaotong, Yunnan. DNA tests confirmed the match, but Li recognized her immediately when they had a video meeting. “My mother and I have the same lips, even my teeth,” he said. On New Year’s Day, the pair finally reunited, with Li falling to his mother’s feet, and the two hugging while they cried.<\/p>\n