2 sentenced for child abduction and trafficking after blockbuster movie inspiration
The family is eventually reunited in July 2021, 24 years after the abduction.
A man and his girlfriend were sentenced to death with a reprieve and life imprisonment, respectively, for abducting and trafficking five children, including a boy whose father's two-decade search inspired a blockbuster movie featuring Andy Lau.
Hu Fuji has been sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, and his then-girlfriend Tang Lixia has received a life imprisonment term. The verdict was issued by Liaocheng City’s Intermediate People’s Court in east China’s Shandong Province on Wednesday.
Hu and Tang abducted and sold four children between 1997 and 1998, and Hu was additionally found guilty of abducting and selling another child in 2001. The court ordered the duo to compensate the plaintiff in the case with 500,000 yuan (US$69,950).
Guo Xinzhen, one of the abducted boys, was taken by Tang in 1997 at the age of 2 and sold in Henan Province by the two traffickers.
His father, Guo Gangtang, then embarked on an unrelenting journey to look for the boy, traveling some 500,000 kilometers all over China, wearing dozens of motorcycles and carrying banners with his son's information.
The family was eventually reunited in July 2021, 24 years after the abduction.
The story inspired a blockbuster movie "Lost and Love," starring famous Hong Kong actor Andy Lau as Guo Gangtang.
Guo Gangtang, present at the ruling, mentioned that Hu has appealed the verdict, while Tang chose not to appeal, as reported by The Paper.
Guo Gangtang rides a motorcycle in Guiyang, Guizhou Province, looking for his son in this 2010 file photo.
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