After 21 Years Lost, He Finally Came Home

Abducted as a Child, Chinese Man Finds His Way Home After 21 Years

A 26-year-old man in China who was taken from his family as a young child has been reunited with his biological parents more than two decades later, describing the experience as finally finding where he truly belongs.

Peng Congcong was kidnapped at the age of four after being tempted away while playing near a market. His parents, who later moved away from the area, spent the next 21 years searching relentlessly—filing police reports, posting notices, and never giving up hope.

During that time, Peng was raised by another family in eastern China under a different name. 

Media reports have referred to that family as having "purchased" him, though Peng himself has not publicly commented on that claim.

In late 2024, police informed Peng that DNA testing had confirmed his real identity and connected him to his birth family in Jiangxi province. 

He soon travelled to meet his parents and two older sisters for the first time since his disappearance.

His family retraced his childhood steps with him, revisiting places he once lived. 

When he returned to his hometown, villagers welcomed him with celebrations, fireworks, and a communal feast, marking his long-awaited homecoming.

Peng said the reunion gave him something he had never fully felt before—a deep emotional connection and sense of belonging. 

Despite having a stable job, a home, and a car where he had been living, he chose to leave everything behind. 

He resigned from his job, sold his property, changed his official residence registration, and cut ties with his former life to start anew with his biological family.

He explained that while he had contributed to home renovations, the property itself had been bought by his adoptive parents, and he felt it was not truly his to keep.

Calling 2025 his "year of rebirth," Peng said he now focuses on making up for lost time by travelling with his parents and sharing everyday moments they were denied for decades.

He has also become a volunteer, helping other families search for missing children, and raises funds through online sales and live-streaming—donating his first earnings to a well-known missing-children charity.

Peng's story has resonated widely online, with many praising his courage to abandon material stability in exchange for family and identity. Others have called for stronger punishment for traffickers and those who profit from child abduction, stressing that money can never replace genuine love or family bonds.

Source:https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3336781/cant-buy-true-love-chinese-man-abducted-child-returns-birth-family-after-reunion