Son, homeless dad have the ultimate Spring Festival reunion

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For the 10 years since his father went missing from home in central China’s Henan Province, Shao Feibiao has watched the family reunions traditionally taking place across the country for Chinese New Year with envy. This time, he and his brother will finally have their dad by their side, after a media campaign to find the vagrant patriarch captivated the nation and helped locate him.

Shao He left home in 2007 after a family squabble but would periodically send his sons money. It was the remittance information from those transfers that led Shao Feibiao to conclude his dad was in Nanjing, a city in east China’s Jiangsu Province, about 550 km from the family home.

Notice for the missing Shao He./ Photo from the Jiangsu public security department’s Weibo account

He first had a missing person’s notice issued via a Nanjing radio station. It was later published on the provincial public security department’s Weibo account, capturing a lot of public attention.

Notice for the missing Shao He./ Photo from the Jiangsu public security department’s Weibo account

“Over the decade, he [Shao He] lost contact with his family members but never ceased to transfer money to his two sons every year. The total amount he sent through the years has already added up to 400,000 yuan [58,000 US dollars],” read the notice, adding, “For those police officers patrolling the city, please tell Shao on finding him that his sons miss him very much.”

Shao Feibiao rushed to Nanjing on January 18, the day he received the latest transfer from his dad.

Shao He in surveillance footage provided by Nanjing police. / The Paper.com Photo

On identifying his father in surveillance footage provided by local police, Shao was finally assured of his quarry’s presence in Nanjing and had notices issued via various platforms including broadcast stations and online social networks.

After tip-offs from locals, Shao He was tracked down in a residential area in the city, where the younger Shao finally found him after a decade apart on January 19. When the pair laid eyes on each other, they were overcome with emotion and cried uncontrollably, according to thepaper.cn.

Shao He in surveillance footage provided by Nanjing police. / The Paper.com Photo

“I found him picking up scraps and he had only had one meal on January 18,” Shao Feibiao told a reporter for the website. The older man “always slept in the streets with only a thin quilt.”

Photo of Shao He./ Photo from the Jiangsu public security department’s Weibo account

“I was overwhelmed with sadness at the thought of his poor vagrant life,” said Shao, who explained that he never cared about the money his dad was sending him but just wanted the family back together.

According to China News, Shao He is in a sound mental state and happy to see his son. Preparing to head home with his father for the Spring Festival, Shao Feibiao expressed heartfelt gratitude to all those who had helped with the search.

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