After 20 years, this girl attained reunion with biological parent

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After 20 years, this girl attained reunion with biological parent

2017-12-13 12:40 Last Updated At：12:40

A Chinese girl was abandoned in the market three days after she was born. Her parents left a note wishing for a reunion in Hangzhou. The girl was adopted by American couples at one year old. After she learned of her own story, she met her biological parents back on Chinese Valentine's Day.

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In 1995, Xu Li-Da, the husband of Qian Fan-xiang brought their daughter Jing-zhi to a market in Suzhou and left her there. The note said “Our daughter, Jing-zhi, was born on July 24 in 1995. Since our family is so poor, we have no choice but to abandon her. Oh Lord, have pity on the plight of the parents. Thank you for adopting our daughter. If God permits or fate allows, let us meet again on Chinese Valentine's Day 20 years later on the bridge of Hangzhou.”

Xu decided on the date because it was near to the birthday of Jing-zhi. According to the file of social welfare home in Suzhou dated July 29 in 1995, a baby girl was received from someone who claimed to have found her at the market. This girl was later adopted by an American couple living in Michigan. They named her as Kati Pohler.

Her adopted father Ken said he didn’t want to tell her the story until her 18th birthday. Last year, when Kati became 21, her adopted mother told her about her past and she decided she would want to meet her biological parents.

Xu and Qian had been to the bridge on Chinese Valentine's Day in both 2004 and 2005 but Kati didn’t turn up as hoped. Now, their baby girl has grown into a healthy and smart undergraduate. After 22 years, they finally met each other at the bridge. When Qian saw her daughter, she couldn’t help but burst into tears.

Kati later came back to United States but she treasured every moment meeting with her biological parents. She understood the difficult they were facing under China’s then one-child policy. “They were stuck in a very bad system,” she added. She felt that the love from her adopted parents as well as biological parents had been overwhelming.

Cyclone Garance hits French Indian Ocean island of Reunion; police report 3 deaths

2025-02-28 23:39 Last Updated At：23:41

PARIS (AP) — French police said at least three people were killed when a tropical storm packing fierce winds and torrential rains thumped the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion on Friday.

Residents were ordered to stay at home as Tropical Cyclone Garance brought heavy rain and winds exceeding 200 kilometers per hour (124 mph), causing floods, power cuts and damage to buildings.

France’s national police force confirmed three fatalities but said it had no details about the circumstances.

Authorities said 847 people sought refuge in emergency shelters and 54 were evacuated due to the risk of flooding or landslides.

About 182,000 people were without power and 171,000 lost access to drinking water, the authorities said.

Officials said strong winds ripped off roofs, doors, and windows of many buildings. Tarpaulins were being sent to the hardest-hit areas to provide shelter in the eastern part of the island.

Authorities lifted the purple cyclone warning, the highest level, on Friday morning, allowing rescue services to begin operations. However, the island remained under a red warning, with residents requested to stay indoors as heavy rain and strong winds were expected to persist throughout the day.

National weather agency Meteo France said winds reaching 214 kilometers per hour were recorded at the island’s main airport.

Reunion island is located about 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) to the southeast of the French territory of Mayotte, an island group off Africa, which was hit in December by the worst cyclone in nearly a century, with widespread devastation left in its wake.

Local authorities have confirmed 40 deaths from Cyclone Chido’s landfall and 41 people missing or believed to have been buried, but fear more may be dead.