A simple request to help take a photograph turned into an emotional reunion for a young man in China after he unexpectedly discovered a family relative who had been separated from his family for decades.
According to the South China Morning Post, the remarkable encounter was shared by Chen Jie through a social media post, describing how a brief conversation during a trip eventually uncovered a long-lost family connection.
On 9 July, Chen Jie, who lives in Shanghai, travelled to Yunnan in southwestern China for work purposes. During his free time, he visited Lugu Lake, a popular tourist destination in the region.
At around 6am while admiring the sunrise by the lake, Chen was approached by an older tourist who asked him to help take a photograph. The two later started chatting, leading Chen to discover that the man was from Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
However, the man revealed that his ancestral hometown was Puyuan, a small town in Tongxiang, Zhejiang province in eastern China — the same place where Chen’s family originated.
Chen said the coincidence surprised him, especially after they exchanged social media details and he discovered the man shared the surname Fei.
The information led Chen to suspect that they could be related, prompting him to discuss the possibility with his father. His father then asked him to confirm whether the man’s father was named Fei Yunfeng, and the answer eventually revealed that they were indeed relatives who had lost contact for many years.
Chen explained that Fei’s father and his grandfather were brothers who migrated to Taiwan with the Kuomintang forces before the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.
His grandfather was later adopted by a couple with the surname Chen, which resulted in the family name change. Due to their age difference, Chen said he should address Fei as his uncle.
After discovering the connection, Chen shared the emotional news with around 20 members of his extended family.
Although the families had been separated for decades, Fei’s father had once sent a letter to Chen’s grandfather in 1991 along with US$200 (around RM888), which was considered a significant amount at the time. The letter has been preserved until today.
While both Fei’s father and Chen’s grandfather have since passed away, Fei described their unexpected reunion as a twist of fate. He is now planning to visit Puyuan next month to meet Chen’s family and reconnect with his long-separated relatives.
