THANKS to local social workers and warm-hearted residents, Lu Nan, an overseas Chinese in his 70s, has finally been reunited with a relative in the city, Shenzhen TV reported.

Lu had been cared for by social workers with the Longxiang Social Work Station in Longgang District since he lost some of his memories due to brain atrophy caused by undisclosed injuries. When he first arrived at the work station, Lu could hardly take care of himself and remembered only small parts of his life.

Lu always muttered about how he missed his sons but could not remember where his family was. Based on the recovered bits and pieces of his experiences, the social workers discovered that the man had lived quite a legendary life. After graduating from the School of Journalism at Fudan University in Shanghai back in 1968, Lu became a journalist with the People’s Daily, a media organization under the Central Government.

Lu and his wife moved to Germany with their two sons in the late 1980s, and he lost contact with most of his co-workers and friends in China. Six years ago, Lu moved to Hong Kong alone before coming to Shenzhen.

A person surnamed Zhao contacted the social work station after reading an online post by the social workers.

Zhao, who is one of Lu’s nephews in Shanghai, helped fill in Lu’s missing memories when the two finally met in tears at the social work station.

According to Zhao, Lu was swindled out of his entire fortune in Shenzhen. Six months ago, Lu even lost his phone, and his family in Germany have not been able to contact him since then.

The old man’s original name was not Lu Nan, but Zhao Jiexia. Lu decided to name himself Lu Nan, meaning southern Shandong, in remembrance of his father who had sacrificed his life in the southern part of Shandong Province, while fighting against the Japanese army.

Lu said his biggest wish was to return to spend the rest of his life in China. (Zhang Qian)