A dad whose son was kidnapped 24 years ago and who then spent the time travelling 310,000 miles around China searching for him has finally been reunited with his lost boy.

Guo Gangtang’s son vanished while sitting outside his home in Shandong in 1997, and like many kidnapped children was sold to a family that wanted to adopt a child in Henan province.

The devoted dad, who was devastated at the loss, then set off on a 24-year campaign to find the boy, Guo Xinzhen, spending everything the family had and even sleeping under bridges at times as he travelled round the country in his fruitless search.

The tragic story in which the dad set up on his motorbike to visit more than 20 provinces even inspired a 2015 film featuring the Hong Kong actor Andy Lau entitled Lost and Love. When he heard about the happy ending, the actor even posted an online video saying: “I pay tribute to your determination and the years of effort together with those that supported you from the public security services. I hope everyone can join me to support anti-human trafficking, and that more distraught families can be reunited soon. “

On the route, he went through a total of 10 motorbikes and was even robbed. He also suffered injury in accidents as he relentlessly pursued the trail of his missing son. The bike that he travelled on carried his life in a bag and a flag with the picture of the lost boy. Ironically, he also inspired many other families to search for children with many reunited in part through a website which he created, but always his own son remained elusive.

In the end, his ordeal ended when the police were able to provide a DNA match and the family have now been reunited over the weekend.

The 51-year-old father said it was a dream come true after he was able to hold his now 26-year-old son in his arms.

He said: “I have lived a life of sadness but now that my boy has been found there will be only happiness from now on.”

The missing boy who was sold to adoptive parents has since attended University and graduated and now works as a teacher, a highly prized government job in China.

China’s Ministry of Public Security announced on Tuesday that they had confirmed the identity of the missing boy via DNA which was taken in June.

Through careful investigation, the police tracked down the two suspects, a man surnamed Hu and a woman surnamed Tang, in North China’s Shanxi Province.

There were no reports about what would happen to the couple named as Mr Hu and Ms Tang who were in a relationship at the time and who allegedly abducted him.

They have apparently both been arrested and an abduction investigation is currently underway.

The woman allegedly grabbed the boy and then rushed to the train station where she met her boyfriend and they then travelled to Henna province in order to sell him.