Chinese centenarian sisters, separated for decades, reunite via video, move many online
The reunion came about thanks to netizens on a leading mainland social media platform and the police.
The reconnection was enabled by an influencer from Henan province in central China who lives with her Taiwanese husband in Taipei.
She released a video at the end of July, which has captivated mainland social media.
In the video, the elder sister, Wen Sue, 101, who is the influencer's neighbour, said she hoped to find her younger sister, Wen Quanmei, aged 100.
She said they had not been in contact with each other for several decades, the Modern Express reported.
The elder sister, who speaks in the strong Jiangsu dialect, said she lived in Changzhou, Jiangsu, before moving to Taiwan in 1949.
After the video went viral, a netizen based in Jiangsu left a comment that her mother-in-law matched the personal information given by the elder sister.
Police in Changzhou set about looking for Wen Quanmei and soon confirmed that the netizen's mother-in-law is the younger sister of Wen Sue.
Since the two centenarians both have poor eyesight and cannot hear clearly, direct video calls were not appropriate.
However, the Changzhou police asked the younger sister to make a short video clip that was sent to the influencer in Taipei.
The influencer, who uses the alias @zhongyuannvzizaitaiwan, then showed the video to the elder sister.
'Sister, we have not contacted each other for many years. I did not know if you were still alive,' the younger sister said in the video.
'How is your health? I have always missed you,' she said.
According to the younger sister's son, his aunt came back to the mainland in 1989 and lived in their home for a while.
But they lost touch after his home was demolished.
'I remember when she visited us in 1989, she gave us a watch, a necklace and a ring,' the son was quoted as saying.
'My mother remembers what food my aunt likes to eat and is always concerned with her health,' he added.
At the beginning of August, the Taipei influencer shared a video showing the elder sister saying: 'I have finally seen my younger sister. It is fine. Thank you.'
The influencer said whenever she meets the older sister on the street, she always asks her if her younger sister has called.
The elder sister's children visit her once a week because her carer is a foreign worker who does not speak Chinese, said the influencer.
The police in Changzhou told the media that they are liaising with the local Taiwan Affairs Office in a bid to let the two sisters meet offline.
Their story has resonated on mainland social media.
'I am moved to tears when one calls the other 'Sister',' said one online observer.
'Their family has a longevity gene,' said another. - South China Morning Post
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