TWO people were sentenced yesterday for abducting and trafficking five children, including a boy whose father’s two-decade search inspired a blockbuster movie starring Hong Kong film star Andy Lau.

Hu Fuji was sentenced to death for the crime of child trafficking, with a two-year reprieve, lifetime deprivation of political rights, and confiscation of all personal property, the Liaocheng Intermediate People’s Court in Shandong Province announced.

The other defendant, Hu’s girlfriend Tang Lixia, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the crime of child trafficking, with lifetime deprivation of political rights and confiscation of all personal property.

Guo Gangtang, the desperate dad, has traveled over 500,000 kilometers, visiting dozens of provinces and using up 10 motorcycles in his search for his son, who was abducted by traffickers in 1997 when he was just 2 years old.

Guo was injured and robbed during his epic search, which inspired the film “Lost and Love” in 2015 starring Andy Lau. He spent the family’s life savings, at times begging for spare change to buy petrol for his bike.

He carried photos of his son and chased down tips that eventually led to the identification of his son’s kidnappers, a couple desperate for money who had spotted the child playing and snatched him to sell to traffickers.

Authorities, inspired by Guo’s determination, also persisted in the search, and eventually identified the couple who sold him and the traffickers who bought him in a nearby province, using DNA from the child’s parents to positively identify him.

The saga came to a surprisingly happy end with a tearful reunion in July 2021. Police say the son was in good health but did not disclose how he spent the last 24 years. Some Chinese-language reports have suggested he was sold to a couple who raised him as their own.

Lau, who played the father in the film, expressed his joy over the reunion. “I feel extremely happy and inspired because Brother Guo’s son has finally reunited with his parents after 24 years with the effort of the Chinese authorities,” Lau wrote in a social media post. “I want to tell Brother Guo that I admire his perseverance, and to also thank the authorities for their years of hard work. I hope everyone can join me to support anti-human trafficking, and that more distraught families can be reunited soon.”

During his search, Guo became an important asset to missing-persons organizations in China.

After a hearing that began July 7 this year, the court found that between 1997 and 1998, the defendants had trafficked four children, including Guo’s son. In 2001, Hu, along with others, trafficked another child.

The court also ordered both defendants to jointly compensate the civil plaintiffs for material losses amounting to over 500,000 yuan (US$70,000). (SD News)