Chinese couple shocked to discover their ‘dead’ son alive after 33 years, raised by hospital director’s infertile relative

In China, a couple who thought their son had died shortly after birth discovered more than three decades later that he was indeed alive.

Zhang Huaiyuan, 33, who grew up in a poor rural village in eastern China’s Anhui province, was shocked to learn that he was adopted and that his biological parents were wealthy merchants. Zhejiang province, in southeastern China.

Doctors told Zhang’s biological parents that he died because he was born prematurely, but that he had actually been given to a relative of the hospital director who was unable to conceive.

Zhang grew up about 400 kilometers from Zhejiang province, where his biological parents live.

The couple who adopted him were in their 50s and the father was disabled. Zhang therefore faced financial difficulties which led him to abandon his studies at the age of 17.

It was only after his adoptive father died in 2023 that his adoptive mother told Zhang that he was not their biological child.

After being separated for decades, Zhang finally met his biological parents in May this year, with the help of the police.

At a grand celebration in Zhejiang on May 20, Zhang’s biological father, Li Shijie, tearfully presented his son with a bank card for an account containing 1.2 million yuan ($166,000).

Zhang is the second child of the Li family.

“Our first child was only one year old when we conceived our second. As the first one was born by cesarean section and did not fully heal, my wife’s incision reopened during the sixth month of pregnancy,” Li said.

The child was born prematurely and doctors declared him dead shortly after birth.

Although he grew up poor, Zhang seemed to have inherited his biological parents’ talent for business as he owned a small factory.

Recently, the Lis visited Zhang’s home in Tianjin, eastern China, where they met their daughter-in-law and nine-year-old grandson.

“My poor child lived more than 30 years without knowing his birthday. This year, our family will finally celebrate it together,” said Li Shijie.

Online observers shared the family’s joy.

“Your story is something even a screenwriter couldn’t come up with. The family is finally happy and complete. Best wishes to you,” said one online observer.

“Look at the family photo, Zhang looks so much like his mother,” said another.

Zhang was also praised for building his business through hard work, rather than relying solely on his biological parents’ fortune.

Other stories of children being separated from their families have surfaced recently.

In December last year, Xie Qingshuai, a 25-year-old Chinese man who was abducted as a child, was reunited with his wealthy parents and given three apartments and a car during his emotional return ceremony.

The same year, another father who was searching for his son, abducted 22 years previously, desperately tried to encourage more people to provide DNA data to police to make a match.

He said he had worked hard on his six properties and four businesses and wanted to pass them on to his son.