For Li Jingzhi and Mao Zhenjing, more than 30 years ago, the unimaginable happened. Their son, Mao Yin, was abducted from a hotel in 1988, 32 years ago, when his father left for a while to get some water.

They spent the last three decades searching for their son.

They never gave up

His parents were devastated, but never gave up. Over time, the mother distributed more than 100,000 leaflets as part of efforts to find Mao, who was only 2 years old when he disappeared.

Searching for Mao was a full-time job, so she left her job to devote herself to research. Over the years, she followed over 300 directions, but without success.

She even made tearful calls on television, appearing on shows like 'X Factor', demanding the safe return of her baby. Li hoped the boy would see her and get to know her.

Parents began by controlling their Xian region and expanding the search nationally and then internationally.

Over the years, their search became increasingly hopelessâ?¦ until something wonderful happened. On Motherâ??s Day in 2020, his mother was given the wonderful news.

"This is the best gift I've ever received on Mother's Day," she said, according to the CCTV report.

The family has now reunited, thanks to an extraordinary police investigation

Finally, last month, there was progress. Police learned of a man from Sichuan Province in Southwest China, about 620 miles from Xian, who had adopted a child years ago.

It turned out that the baby was Mao Yin, now known as Gu Ningning. They used face recognition technology to analyze Maoâ??s old photographs and confirmed his identity through a DNA test.

He was sold into a childless family

Police said the little boy was sold to a childless couple for 6,000 yuan (772 euros). Child abduction and trafficking has been commonplace for decades around the world, but often without a happy ending. He was given another name, Gu Ningning. Now 34, he has finally regained his real name, Mao Yin. He now runs a home decoration business.

"I don't want to be separated from him anymore," said Li, Mao's mother.

Mao replied that he would soon come and live with his biological parents. Ms. Li said, "I would like to thank the tens of thousands of people who helped us."

Li helped others as they searched for her son

In 2007, she joined a volunteer group called Baby Come Back Home, which is an organization that works to find missing children. Ms. Li helped reunite the 29 children with their families, but unfortunately her son is still missing.

However, Liâ??s extraordinary resilience and her willingness to help others through the pain she had herself is admirable. She never gave up and all the hard work was not in vain.