Chinese runaway daughter shocked by ‘teddy bear’ father who travels 1,000km to reconcile

A video of a father in China wearing a teddy bear costume to give flowers to his daughter at work as a gesture of peace after an argument has gone viral on mainland social media.

The visit came as a complete surprise to her, as did his outfit when he showed up at her workplace in Guangzhou, southern China’s Guangdong province, in mid-August, Jiaodian Video reported.

His goal was to reconcile with his daughter after an argument over setting up blind dates for her.

She had left the family home that day and they had not seen each other for six months.

The girl, whose name was not disclosed in the report, works for a small taxi company. She was surprised when a large cartoon bear appeared in front of her, offered her a bouquet of flowers and hugged her.

Company surveillance video shows her hesitate for a moment, then stand up to hug the bear, as her father removes the head from the costume and reveals his identity.

She stands there stunned for a moment before shouting, “Daddy, what are you doing here?” and then runs to him and hugs him as they both cry tears of joy.

“My daughter, it’s been a long time since you contacted us. I miss you terribly,” he said.

“It’s our fault. Your mother and I made an agreement that we won’t force you to participate in blind dating activities. You can count on me. It’s okay,” her father reassured her.

After the disagreement, the girl quickly packed her bags and left home, settling about 1,000 km away from Guangzhou.

“I haven’t contacted my parents since. I was afraid to call them because I think I’m not living up to their expectations,” she said.

Recalling the moment her father took her head off the costume, she said there was more than one reason she couldn’t stop crying.

“My father’s hair had turned white. I felt so guilty,” she said.

The incident sparked a wave of emotion in China.

“I envy this girl for having parents who love her very much,” wrote one online observer on Douyin.

“I burst into tears watching them. A father’s love is as big as a mountain,” said another.