[4] Compiled from: Red Star News
 
On December 6, Sun Zhuo, the long-lost son of Sun Haiyang, the prototype of the film "Dear," was found, and DNA matching between Sun Haiyang and his son Sun Zhuo was successful.

 
 

Case review
In 2003, Sun Haiyang's son Sun Zhuo was born. In 2007, he brought his wife and son to Baishizhou, Shenzhen, where they opened a steamed bun shop, hoping his son could grow up better in the big city. Around 7 p.m. on October 9, 2007, Sun Zhuo was abducted while playing near the doorstep. From then on, searching for his son became Sun Haiyang's main pursuit. He hung a sign reading "Reward of 200,000 yuan for finding my son" at his shop, and while searching for his own son, he also helped other parents find their missing children.
 
On December 6, 2021, Sun Haiyang reunited with his son Sun Zhuo, who had been missing for 14 years, witnessed by the national audience.

 
 

At noon on December 6, actor Zhang Yi, star of the film *Dearest*, posted on Weibo to congratulate Sun Haiyang on finding his son: "@Sun Haiyang Searching for Son, Brother Sun Haiyang is the real-life inspiration for my character Han Dezhong. I recall the first time we met; his pain left me utterly speechless. *Dearest* brought us audiences and honors, but it also kept me worried about his son. Today, finally! I watched the live stream in tears, with mixed emotions. The one thing I want to say most: Congratulations to the Sun family on their reunion. May there be no abductions in the world. Thank you to the people's police!"
 
 
《Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China
Article 240: [Crime of Abducting and Trafficking Women and Children]
Whoever abducts and traffics in women or children shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than five years but not more than ten years and shall also be fined; under any of the following circumstances, the offender shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than ten years or life imprisonment, and shall also be fined or have property confiscated; if the circumstances are especially serious, the offender shall be sentenced to death and have property confiscated:
(1) Being a ringleader of a gang engaged in abducting and trafficking in women or children;
(2) Abducting and trafficking in three or more women or children;
(3) Raping the abducted woman;
(4) Enticing or forcing the abducted woman into prostitution, or selling the abducted woman to another person to force her into prostitution;
(5) Using violence, coercion, or anesthetic methods to abduct women or children for the purpose of selling them;
(6) Stealing infants or young children for the purpose of selling them;
(7) Causing serious injury, death, or other severe consequences to the trafficked women, children, or their relatives;
(8) Trafficking women or children abroad.
Abducting and trafficking women or children refers to any act of abducting, kidnapping, buying, selling, transporting, or transiting women or children for the purpose of selling them.
 
Article 241: [Crime of Buying Abducted Women or Children]
Whoever buys an abducted woman or child shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years, criminal detention, or public surveillance.

 

 
[1] The author's perspective
According to news reports, since Sun Zhuo is preparing for the college entrance examination, he must return to school to continue his studies, and he later chose to continue living with his adoptive parents. This outcome is emotionally difficult to accept. From a legal perspective, according to the relevant provisions of the "China Action Plan Against Trafficking in Persons (2013-2020)," abducted children should be legally rescued and returned to their biological parents. If the biological parents cannot be found, the public security authorities shall provide relevant materials and hand the child over to the civil affairs department for proper placement, and the child shall not continue to be raised by the purchasing family. Thus, as long as it is confirmed that the child was trafficked, regardless of whether the adoptive parents treated him well, the child must be returned to the biological parents. However, in this case, Sun Zhuo is 18 years old, an adult, and he can choose whether to return to his biological parents or stay with his adoptive parents.
 
On the other hand, we all know that human traffickers bear criminal responsibility. But do Sun Zhuo's adoptive parents, who bought the abducted child, also commit a crime? According to Article 241 of the Criminal Law, buying an abducted woman or child is punishable by fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years, criminal detention, or public surveillance. Sun Zhuo's adoptive parents also bear criminal responsibility. However, according to the "Criminal Law Amendment (IX)," which came into effect on November 1, 2015: if there is no abuse of the bought child and no obstruction of the rescue, the punishment may be mitigated. It should be noted that mitigation of punishment does not mean exemption from punishment or criminal liability. Thus, the law not only reflects the simple emotions of the people but also effectively deters both buyers and sellers.