More than 70 years ago, 20-year-old Hu Dingyuan was recruited into the army to fight China's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1931-1945) and left his home in Sichuan province. Hu ended up in Taiwan and never got back to his home again.

Last month, Hu's information was published by Toutiao, a popular news app, to help him find his family on the mainland. With help from social media users and traditional media, it was discovered that Hejiang county in Sichuan's Luzhou city was likely to be Hu's hometown. Meanwhile a villager from Hejiang county named Li Jiayou said one of his uncles had gone missing at a young age.

Li Jiayou (right) waits for a video call from Hu Dingyuan at his home in Hejiang county, Sichuan province on April 11, 2017. The two sides later confirmed that Hu is Li's missing uncle after checking various details.[Photo/VCG]