Chinese boy abducted at 3, who inspired child trafficking film, enters direct PhD programme

A young Chinese man who has just graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Technology from the prestigious Wuhan University is set to embark on a new life as a doctoral student at the same institution.Peng Wenle is not just another ordinary 21-year-old; he was abducted at the age of three in 2008 from outside his parents’ telephone service shop in southern China’s Shenzhen and was recovered three years later, thanks to his parents’ tireless search.Wenle seized this academic milestone as an opportunity to express his gratitude to his parents, stating that he might have lived a life of “farming and herding livestock in a village” had it not been for their relentless efforts.Wenle expressed heartfelt gratitude to his parents for their unwavering commitment during the three-year search that led to his rescue, enabling him to lead the fulfilling life he enjoys today while pursuing academic studies. Photo: DouyinWenle was taken by a man and brought to a village in eastern China’s Jiangsu province.On that fateful day, Wenle was playing with other children near the shop. His father, Peng Gaofeng, recalled that Wenle had been out of their sight for just three minutes when the abductor forcibly seized him, carried the struggling boy onto a bus, and vanished.Peng Gaofeng, his wife Xiong Yini, and Wenle had relocated to Shenzhen from their hometown in Qianjiang, central China’s Hubei province, in 2007, driven by the simple wish to improve their lives.The couple were devastated by their son’s disappearance. A visibly weakened Xiong lost 10kg, while Peng desperately searched for Wenle in provinces where he thought the boy may have been taken.This photo captures young Wenle shortly after his recovery, reunited with his biological parents after an agonising separation. Photo: DouyinDuring this period, microblogging social media began to thrive in China. Following advice from journalist and social activist Deng Fei, Peng decided to leverage the internet to find Wenle. He shared photos of his son online and began documenting his search in a diary.A miracle occurred. One day before the Spring Festival in 2011, Peng received a call from a university student who believed he had seen a child in a Jiangsu village resembling Wenle.Initially sceptical, Peng had received many similar calls before. However, when the student sent him photos of the boy, hope ignited within him.The police eventually rescued Wenle from that village, where the six-year-old still recognised his father after three years apart.When police located Wenle in the abductor’s village, the six-year-old remarkably recognised his father, despite three years apart. This emotional reunion drew significant attention from both national and international media outlets. Photo: DouyinIt was later revealed that the man who abducted Wenle had done so out of a desire for a son, as he and his wife only had a daughter and needed a male heir to support them in old age.Further ReadingThe abductor died from cancer in 2010. His wife, Wenle’s adoptive mother, claimed she was unaware of his abduction and believed he was her husband’s illegitimate child.After Wenle’s rescue, he and his younger brother, born after his abduction, were raised in their hometown of Qianjiang while Peng Gaofeng continued to work in Shenzhen.In 2022, Wenle was admitted to Wuhan University after scoring 632 out of a maximum of 750 on the gaokao, or national university entrance exam.He chose to major in computer science due to its promising job prospects, soon discovering a passion for the field and deciding to pursue further research.Wenle chose to major in computer science, attracted by its promising career opportunities. He soon discovered a genuine passion for the field and decided to embark on further research. Photo: DouyinWenle thoroughly enjoys his university life and aims to excel in his research topics during his doctoral studies.He acknowledged that he could live this life today thanks to his parents and the many people who aided in the search for him.Journalist Deng noted that while helping Peng, he uncovered that thousands of children were lost in Shenzhen and Dongguan in Guangdong province around those years.Many were children of migrant workers, like Peng, including one of the most well-known parents of an abducted child, Sun Haiyang.Both Peng and Sun inspired the 2014 film Dearest, directed by Hong Kong filmmaker Peter Chan.A joyful family moment featuring Wenle, second from right, his parents, and his younger brother, who was born after his abduction, highlights their cherished bond. Photo: DouyinSun Haiyang’s son, Sun Zhuo, was abducted in 2007 in Shenzhen and was found 14 years later. When Sun Zhuo was recovered, Wenle requested a leave from school to visit and talk with him.Sun Zhuo also reunited with his birth family and is currently a student at Nanjing Tech University.A manager of the family search programme at the Huakailing Public Welfare Base, founded by Journalist Deng and referred to as Gao, told the SCMP that one of the challenges parents face is the difficulty of obtaining DNA samples of some children for the police database.Wenle, Sun Zhuo, and other recovered children maintain visibility on social media, sharing their hopeful stories to inspire others searching for their birth families while also supporting parents who continue to seek their long-lost children.