Chinese Man Reunites With Family After 25 Years of Solitary Mountain Life

A 63-year-old Chinese man has reunited with his family after spending 25 years living in isolation in a remote mountainous area, where he remained to honour a promise made to a former employer. Li Guoyou had lost contact with his brothers after leaving his hometown in Sichuan province decades ago. His extraordinary decision to remain at a remote property for a quarter of a century eventually brought him back into contact with his family after his former employer returned and helped him begin the journey home.

Li left his hometown in 1987 in search of work in southern China. After his parents died, his two brothers became his only surviving close relatives, but the family eventually lost contact. In 1998, Li moved to Harbin in northern China, where he found work at a roadside restaurant run by a woman identified as Lin. Impressed by his reliability, Lin asked him to look after her property in a remote mountainous location. Li agreed and remained committed to the responsibility even after Lin moved away.

For the next 25 years, Li lived largely off the grid and developed a self-sufficient routine in the mountains. He grew corn, raised animals and fished to meet his basic needs, while walking about three kilometres to the nearest small grocery store when he required supplies. Meanwhile, Lin left the area to pursue business opportunities in Beijing and Russia and eventually lost sight of the property and the promise Li had made to protect it. When she returned after 25 years intending to sell the house, she was surprised to discover that Li was still living there and had continued to guard the property.

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Lin was reportedly moved by Li’s loyalty and asked him what he wanted to do next. Li told her that he wished to return to his hometown and search for his brothers. However, his identity card had expired, making it difficult for him to travel by train under China’s identification requirements. Lin worked with local police authorities to arrange the necessary travel documents and accompanied him during the roughly 40-hour train journey back to his hometown. The assistance enabled Li to begin the return journey after decades away from his family.

Li recently received a renewed hukou booklet, China’s official household registration document, at a police station in Pingtan. Local government officials subsequently met him and helped escort him to his village, where he reunited with his brothers after nearly three decades apart. The reunion marked the end of a prolonged period during which Li had lived far removed from his family and wider society. His return also allowed him to restore his official identity documents and reconnect with relatives he had not seen for many years.

The unusual story has drawn attention because of Li’s decision to honour a simple promise for 25 years despite the personal cost of prolonged isolation. His former employer’s return ultimately gave him an opportunity to leave the mountains and search for his family. The reunion has also prompted discussion about loyalty, responsibility and the unexpected ways in which relationships can endure over decades. For Li, a commitment made years earlier ultimately became the link that helped lead him back to his family and his former life.

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