Across China: A father's 18-year search for his son

Guo Gangtang has found himself under the media spotlight after the success of a film based on the 18 years he has spent riding a motorbike around China in search of his missing son.

"Watching the movie, I cried in silence in the cinema as I relived my journey," Guo said on Monday night, as "Lost and Love" was nominated for a number of awards at the Shanghai International Film Festival.

Attending the festival represented a rare break in Guo's travels. He has covered nearly 400,000 km by motorbike, carrying a messenger bag full of flyers and with a flag bearing a picture of his son strapped to the back.

"It is only when I'm on the road looking for him that I feel like a father. I can't stop because I can't let my son down," said the 45-year-old farmer from Liaocheng City of east China's Shandong Province.

In September 1997, Guo's two-year-old son was abducted by an unknown woman when he was playing near home.

More than 500 people searched for the boy in nearby bus and train stations, but no clues were found. It seemed he and his captor had vanished.

However, Guo didn't give up hope. He magnified his son's photo and had it printed on a flag with the message "Where are you, my son? Daddy will take you home", before embarking on a bitter search through the world's most populous nation.

Guo has left his footprints in 29 provinces and cities, and worn out nine motorbikes. The school dropout even learned to use the Internet to hunt for clues, and printed 80,000 letters to seek help from relatives, friends, volunteers and police across China.

He has burned through all his savings and built up debts of more than 200,000 yuan (about 32,700 U.S. dollars). So when he arrives in a new place, he has to find part-time work to cover his travel expenses.

Sometimes, the exhausted father has no money in his pocket and has to go hungry or sleep rough.

Occasionally, he is reduced to tears when "chengguan" (urban management officers) force him to tear down the notices he has posted on the street.

However, kindness has supported and comforted him along the way.

To save time, Guo once rode his motorbike on a motorway, which is not allowed. After traffic police saw his flag, they did not fine him or force him to leave, but escorted him until he reached his next stop.

An officer even wrote him a note, wishing him luck in his search.

"So many people have helped me over the years. Though I don't know their names, I know I'm not alone on the road," Guo said.

His wife has given birth to another two boys since the abduction. But the family has never taken a photo together. "I want to wait for my lost son and be a complete family again," he explained.

Guo said he feels sorry for the sons he has left behind but he can't stop his search because it has become about more than his family.

An estimated 1.2 million children worldwide are trafficked every year, according to the International Labor Organization.

While looking for his own son amid the murky world of human trafficking, Guo has found lost children for several other families. He carries around a collection of missing-person notices.

Now he wants to do more, having established an association to help those with similar experiences.

"If there is a platform through which people who've lost children or who were abducted during childhood can exchange information, the road ahead can be less lonely," he believes.

"As long as there's a ray of hope, I won't give up," said Guo. "My son's name is Guo Zhen. He was born in April 1995. There's a scar on the little toe of his left foot."

As soon as the festival ceremony was over, he set off once more on his motorbike. "Where are you, my son? Daddy will take you home" receded into the distance. Endi