- Woman in southern China reunited with birth family after 35 years missing
- Zhong Fenglin went missing at age two near a market in Nanning, Guangxi
- Adopted by a clothing vendor who raised her in another city under a new name
A woman in southern China has been reunited with her birth family 35 years after she went missing as a toddler. The emotional reunion came after decades of searching, and a DNA test confirmed her identity, reported the South China Morning Post.
Zhong Fenglin, 37, once lived near a market in Nanning, Guangxi, where her parents sold ginger and garlic.
In 1991, her father took the two-year-old to his vegetable stall. As he could not watch her while working, he gave her money to buy food.
Zhong wandered through the crowd and crossed the street into another market, where she went missing.
A clothing vendor found the crying toddler and took pity on her. The vendor later recalled that the girl had scratch marks and a scar on her face.
After leaving her contact details with the market office, the vendor asked staff to make broadcast appeals for the child's family, but no one came forward.
Initial local reports claimed the vendor took Zhong home, just a street away from her childhood home.
Hongxing News later verified that the vendor, unable to find Zhong's family at the nearby market, took her to another city and raised her under a new name.
Zhong grew up surrounded by the love of her adoptive parents and elder brother. She is now married and has an eight-year-old daughter.
Her birth parents reportedly searched for her for decades, while her younger sister registered her details with Baby Come Home, a Chinese non-profit platform that helps missing children reunite with their families.
Zhong's father died in 2024, with his final wish of seeing her again remaining unfulfilled. In his final days, he reportedly asked his younger daughter if she had found her sister yet.
The injuries Zhong had when she was found led her to believe that she had been abandoned, although the cause has not been disclosed.
She nearly gave up the search before volunteers reassured her and persuaded her to make her case public.
On April 12, Zhong registered with Baby Come Home and was contacted shortly afterwards. A woman noticed that Zhong closely resembled her family's long-lost sister. A DNA test later confirmed the relationship.
On July 7, Zhong travelled to her hometown, Yulin, for the reunion. Holding a bouquet, she embraced her birth mother and said that she thought she would never see her again in this lifetime.
Zhong said she would spend time with her birth family after the reunion and visit them regularly.
