A man who has never been married became a "father" to more than 700 children (4 photos)

Wang Wanlin found homeless children, provided them with housing and paid for their travel home. For those who could not return to their families, he became a foster father. Sometimes up to 20 children lived in his apartment at a time.





80-year-old Wang Wanlin from Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province (China), dedicated his life to saving homeless children. Since 1979, he has sheltered and helped more than 700 children, providing them with food, shelter and the opportunity to return to their families.

Wang first helped a teenager he met on the street on a cold evening. The 15-year-old boy had escaped from a coal mine after being tricked into doing so. Wang took him in, fed him, and soon bought him a train ticket home. This incident became a turning point in his life and laid the foundation for his noble mission.

Wang’s youth was promising: he was accepted into a state-run singing and dancing troupe. However, his fate changed after he was falsely accused of theft, which led to 16 years of forced labor. After his release in 1978, he found work in a packaging factory, but he never forgot the hardships he had endured. This inspired him to help children in need.



From then on, Wang found homeless children, providing them with shelter and paying for their tickets home. For those who could not return to their families, he became a foster father. Up to 20 children sometimes lived in his apartment at a time. The only thing he asked in return was a letter confirming that the child was safe.

One of the children Wang saved was Yu Hui. In 1998, the 12-year-old boy went looking for work but was drawn into a criminal group. Wang helped him escape, fed him, and bought him a ticket home. After learning that Yu could not continue his studies due to the family's poverty, he suggested that his parents send the boy back to Hangzhou to get an education. Yu graduated from a vocational school, worked in Shanghai, and then built a house for his family.





In 2022, Yu returned to Hangzhou to take care of Wang, who was left alone. He now runs a beauty salon and looks after his adoptive father's health, showing the same care he once received.

A Legacy of Good Deeds

Wang keeps letters and photos of all 700 children he has supported. His actions have earned him admiration from netizens, and Yu has even tried to track down Wang's other adopted children through video messages.

"Wang is a man with a huge heart, just like his 'son' Yu," one netizen noted.