Abandoned at Five, a 27-Year-Old’s Viral Plea to Find His Mother and Sister Moves Millions
In a quiet town in Henan, a man in his late twenties sat down for a rare interview that has since rippled across China’s social media landscape. Yu Linsheng, now 27, is the same child who, at five years old, was taken by his mother from the cold plains of Northeast China to the more prosperous province of Shandong, only to be sold to a family that would become his first adoptive parents. Twenty‑two years later, the memory of that fateful day still haunts him, and his yearning to reunite with the mother and sister he scarcely remembers has struck a chord with millions online.
2 September 2025
The story broke on August 30, 2025, when “Urban Report” (都市报道), a regional news outlet, posted a short video of Yu’s interview on Weibo. In the footage, he describes how, after his mother’s departure with his three‑year‑old sister, he was handed over to a couple who raised him as their own. The first adoptive father died when Yu was nine; a second adoptive father then took him in, providing the only stability the boy ever knew. “I live my whole life with a shadow,” Yu says, his voice trembling. “Even now I am afraid to fall in love because the wound is still raw.”
When asked about his mother, he admits his recollection is hazy – “I only remember that she was from the Northeast,” he says – but he cannot escape the pain of abandonment. “If I close my eyes, I still see my little sister,” Yu adds, his eyes glistening. “As long as I have a thought, I want to see her, even if it’s for a single moment.” The simple, desperate longing has become a rallying cry for netizens, who have responded in droves with a mixture of sympathy, outrage and calls for systemic change.
The emotional impact of Yu’s testimony is unmistakable. Within hours of the video’s release, Weibo users flooded the comments with phrases like “太揪心了!” (too heart‑breaking) and “真让人心疼” (truly makes one’s heart ache). Many praised Yu’s capacity for forgiveness, noting that anyone who could still wish to see the mother who sold him must possess a “soft and kind heart.” Others expressed hope that he might finally close the chapter that has haunted him
