BEIJING: A woman in eastern China has been reunited with her birth family 22 years after running away as a child, fearing punishment for breaking a bottle of shower gel.
Liu Xiuhong, from a rural family in Ganzhou, Jiangxi province, was nine years old when she moved with her migrant-worker parents to Jieyang, Guangdong province, where they lived in a cramped rented room, according to the mainland outlet Shicheng Media.
While playing at a friend’s home in 2004, Liu accidentally smashed a glass bottle of shower gel worth about 10 yuan (US$1.5), a small amount today but a considerable expense for a rural household at the time.
Afraid her mother would beat or scold her, she fled and became lost in a vegetable market, where the man who became her adoptive father later found her. His identity has not been disclosed.
Her birth parents appealed for help through a local television station for three days, but found no trace of her.
Mainland reports said Liu was well cared for by her adoptive family in Guangdong, who later helped her search for her birth parents.
With the help of volunteers and police, Liu, now 31, recently traced her family back to Jiangxi.
Relatives were waiting when she arrived by high-speed train, and she broke down as she embraced her younger siblings.
At the family’s rural home, her parents welcomed her with firecrackers, banners and flowers.
“Daughter, I am so sorry,” her mother said through tears, blaming herself for failing to protect Liu all those years ago.
Liu also apologised, saying her decision to run away had caused her parents years of suffering.
Her mother placed a gold necklace around her neck and prepared watermelon, handmade noodles and local rice balls, telling her: “These are the flavours of your hometown.”
Liu has not said whether she plans to return to Jiangxi permanently. It remains unclear whether she was frequently subjected to corporal punishment during her childhood.
The reunion has struck a chord on mainland social media, sparking a debate over parenting styles.
One online observer said: “Liu ran away because she was afraid of being beaten. That says a lot about how strict her birth family may have been.”
Another user called for a more elaborate social adoption system to help children who fear returning to their birth families find a safer home.
While a third wrote: “Liu and her birth parents are both trying to make amends for the past. That is what made this reunion so moving.” - South China Morning Post
