Homeless man reunited with family after 8 years, thanks TikTok!

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28-year-old Zhu Lei has been reunited with his wife and 10-year-old son after wandering around China for eight years, this after footage of him was uploaded on the video sharing platform "TikTok" – known as Douyin in China – by a local shopkeeper.

Zhu who went missing on May 18, 2010, in Shanghai, had been begging and wandering around eastern China, eventually ending up in Huzhen Town in Quzhou City, Zhejiang Province, about 600 kilometers south of his hometown in Anhui Province, Hefei Evening News reported.

Video clips of the homeless man garnered millions of views after being posted on TikTok. /Screenshot via WeChat

However, things turned around when a kindhearted shop owner, Zheng Yijie, decided to help Zhu reunite with his family after she saw him outside a local restaurant on October 25.

Zheng then decided to post videos of him on "TikTok" hoping that its millions of users will help spread the word.

Zhu Lei (2nd R) reunites with his family, November 10. /Screenshot via WeChat

She uploaded 13 short videos of the man, with some featuring her giving Zhu a haircut. The footage soon went viral and amassed over a million views. One of the videos crossed a whopping five million clicks, and subsequently led the man's family to contact her.

But that's not all, the popular video sharing platform has proved itself to be useful in more ways than one.

Cops in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality are even using it to solicit crime tips from the public.

Suspect in a homicide case is arrested by Chongqing police, November 15. /Screenshot via WeChat

A man in northwest China's Gansu Province was awarded 50,000 yuan (about 7,207 US dollars) on November 15 by Chongqing police for identifying a suspect in a homicide case.

He reported to the police on November 14 that he had spotted a man at a local automobile repair shop who bore resemblance to the suspect, after watching video footage of the suspect escaping the crime scene which was uploaded on "TikTok" by Chongqing police on October 19. The suspect is now under arrest.

And "TikTok" saved the day again!