After 20 years, this girl attained reunion with biological parent

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After 20 years, this girl attained reunion with biological parent

2017-12-13 12:40 Last Updated At：12:40

A Chinese girl was abandoned in the market three days after she was born. Her parents left a note wishing for a reunion in Hangzhou. The girl was adopted by American couples at one year old. After she learned of her own story, she met her biological parents back on Chinese Valentine's Day.

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In 1995, Xu Li-Da, the husband of Qian Fan-xiang brought their daughter Jing-zhi to a market in Suzhou and left her there. The note said “Our daughter, Jing-zhi, was born on July 24 in 1995. Since our family is so poor, we have no choice but to abandon her. Oh Lord, have pity on the plight of the parents. Thank you for adopting our daughter. If God permits or fate allows, let us meet again on Chinese Valentine's Day 20 years later on the bridge of Hangzhou.”

Xu decided on the date because it was near to the birthday of Jing-zhi. According to the file of social welfare home in Suzhou dated July 29 in 1995, a baby girl was received from someone who claimed to have found her at the market. This girl was later adopted by an American couple living in Michigan. They named her as Kati Pohler.

Her adopted father Ken said he didn’t want to tell her the story until her 18th birthday. Last year, when Kati became 21, her adopted mother told her about her past and she decided she would want to meet her biological parents.

Xu and Qian had been to the bridge on Chinese Valentine's Day in both 2004 and 2005 but Kati didn’t turn up as hoped. Now, their baby girl has grown into a healthy and smart undergraduate. After 22 years, they finally met each other at the bridge. When Qian saw her daughter, she couldn’t help but burst into tears.

Kati later came back to United States but she treasured every moment meeting with her biological parents. She understood the difficult they were facing under China’s then one-child policy. “They were stuck in a very bad system,” she added. She felt that the love from her adopted parents as well as biological parents had been overwhelming.

Tears of joy as Nigerian families reunite with kidnapped schoolchildren

PAPIRI, Nigeria (AP) — In a Christmas reunion, families and villagers in north-central Nigeria cried and hugged schoolchildren who were held for a month after being seized in one of the largest mass abductions in the country’s history.

The 130 schoolchildren and teachers were released on Sunday and brought home in Niger state’s Papiri community late Wednesday night, marking the last batch freed since the Nov. 21 attack on St. Mary's Catholic School in Papiri.

Mothers with teary eyes hugged their kids tightly while other children were lifted high in the air, their faces beaming with joy as villagers called out to them and examined them carefully to make sure they were not harmed.

“This Christmas, since we are celebrating Christmas with our children, we are so glad. And this Christmas will be different from the others,” said Yusuf Timothy, whose daughter, Rejoice, was among those freed.

“I am happy, I am happy,” said Rita Marcus, who was reunited with her son, tears flowing down her face. “This happiness, it is too much.”

School kidnappings driven by ransoms have become a major security issue in Africa’s most populous country.

Authorities earlier said 303 schoolchildren and 12 teachers were seized in the Niger state attack but later revised the number to 230, adding that all had now been released, without stating how.

Most of the children were aged between 10 and 17, the school said. Onyeka Chieme, one of the students, earlier told The Associated Press that gunmen threatened to shoot them during the attack.

Yusuf Timothy said his family had to put their life on hold since the attack.

“Sometimes even though I’m asleep with my wife, if we wake up, we will start thinking. We will start crying. When are we going to see our child?” he said.