Policeman reunited about 500 families in 16 years (3 photos)

Shang Chaoyang has turned his service into a life mission. His persistence, knowledge, and sincere desire to help have made it possible to reunite families after many years.





In eastern China, police officer Shang Chaoyang, who has dedicated 16 years of his life to helping families find missing relatives, has turned his office courtyard into a colorful spectacle. He has hung more than 300 thank-you pennants on the basketball court that he has received from families reunited thanks to his efforts.

A 54-year-old police officer in Shengzhou City, Zhejiang Province, Shang has become a legend in his field. In 2022, a special unit dedicated to searching for missing persons was created in his honor. The wall of the unit's office records all the cases in which law enforcement officers were able to help people looking for their relatives. Over the past 16 years, the team has processed more than 7,300 requests and successfully reunited 483 families.



Before moving the office to the city center, for the convenience of citizens, Shang decided to put up thank-you pennants to remind people of the importance of his work. It was also a practical solution: fresh air prevented fabrics from deteriorating due to dampness.

Shang started his business in 2008, searching in his spare time. Even with access to databases, the task was not easy. His work involved analyzing large amounts of information and searching for possible matches, often requiring personal visits to dozens of families.

To improve efficiency, Shang studied genetic techniques and algorithms that could model how the faces of missing people might change with age.

Touching Stories

Over the years, Shang has witnessed many amazing stories. Last year, he helped a mother in Sichuan Province find her son, who had been abducted 32 years earlier. The boy was only two years old when he went missing. He was found in Henan Province.

Another case is a 95-year-old woman who went missing in Hangzhou at the age of nine. After 86 years of separation, she was reunited with her family through DNA analysis and a search that spanned several cities.

Many of the photos of reunited families show Shan smiling alongside people crying with joy, bringing tears to the eyes of those who see them.

The Price of Time

Not all stories ended on a positive note. In 2021, a man approached Shan for help in finding his family. Eight months later, the family was found, but the man's father had passed away three months earlier.

"If I had worked harder, maybe they would have met," Shan recalls with regret.

National Initiative

China launched a "Reunification" campaign in 2021 to speed up the search for missing and abducted people. The initiative has found nearly 11,000 missing children in its first year.



Many people online are praising the work of Shan and his team. "These pennants are like band-aids that heal people's wounds," wrote one user. "Hats off to the police officers who are bringing families back together," said another.

Shan's work is not only an example of dedication, but also a reminder of the importance of maintaining hope even in the most difficult situations.