True-Story Film Inspiration Guo Xinzhen Is Finally Found 24 Years After His Abduction in China

Guo Gangtang has set a high bar for fathers everywhere. The 51-year-old from the Chinese province of Shandong has spent nearly half of his life desperately searching for his lost son.

In September 1997, Guo Xinzhen was just 2.5 years old, playing near the house, when he was snapped up by an unfamiliar woman.

Police, 500 volunteers and the child’s heartbroken 👨‍👩‍👧Family scoured the area, searching bus stations, train stations and anywhere else he might have passed through.

Though authorities collected evidence and followed leads, they were unable to locate the toddler. Unsatisfied with the results, the dedicated father set out on the journey of a lifetime, driving through China by motorbike, carrying little on him other than fliers describing his kidnapped boy.

For years he rode, crossing through all 31 Chinese provinces and regions, except for Tibet and Xinjiang. He covered over 300,000 miles, went through 10 motorbikes and racked up hundreds of thousands of yuan in debt, according to Xinhuanet.

📺 Embedded media — coming soon

As he traveled, he displayed a flag on the back of his motorbike that bore the image of his son, hoping he would be able to find the long-lost boy.