Liu Huaqing’s search for her missing son became a lifelong mission, and the story shows how determination and modern science can solve old mysteries. Readers will see how a family was finally reunited after nearly four decades.

According to the report, Liu began looking for her son in the 1990s, submitted a DNA sample around 2000, and in 2019 asked police to create an age‑progressed portrait of what he might look like as an adult. Her efforts continued despite many setbacks.

Xie grew up in orphanages, faced several failed adoptions and was told he had been abandoned. These experiences made him reluctant to look for his biological family.

In June 2026, Sichuan police launched an operation that compared images across several databases and identified Xie as a likely match to the missing child. Officers intercepted him while he was delivering parcels, collected a blood sample, and DNA testing in early July confirmed a biological match with Liu.

After the DNA confirmation, Xie, a delivery driver who still believed he had been abandoned, initially refused police contact. Police and a former sponsor spent nearly three months persuading him, and he finally agreed to meet his mother on Sept. 15. At the reunion Liu showed a hand‑sewn blanket and old photographs, and they shared a meal with relatives, ending a 37‑year separation.