Chinese boy abducted at 3 now gets direct admission to PhD program

Peng Wenle was abducted at three years old and taken hundreds of kilometers from his parents, who he was only reunited with three years later. The boy has since continued to add major turns to his life story.Peng, now 21, was abducted from outside his parents' shop in Shenzhen in 2008. He was playing with other children outside his parents' telephone service shop. His father, Peng Gaofeng, said the boy had been out of his sight for only about three minutes when a man grabbed him, carried him onto a bus and fled, according to the South China Morning Post. Peng Wenle when graduating from Wuham University in June 2026. Photo from Douyin His disappearance triggered a three-year search across China. His mother, Xiong Yini, lost 10 kilograms during the ordeal, while his father traveled to different provinces in search of clues. The family also circulated Wenle's photographs online and through other channels in the hope of finding him.The breakthrough came in early 2011, when a university student in Jiangsu Province saw photographs of Wenle posted online by his father. The student noticed a resemblance between the missing boy and a six-year-old child he had seen in a village and contacted Peng, sending him a photograph of the child.Police subsequently located Wenle in Jiangsu. When the boy was reunited with his father outside a police station, he reportedly recognized him and said, "That man crying is my father." DNA testing later confirmed that he was Gaofeng's biological son, the Los Angeles Times reported.Wenle had been raised by the family of the man who abducted him. The abductor reportedly wanted a son because he and his wife already had a daughter. He died of cancer in 2010, while his wife continued raising Wenle and sent him to school.After returning to his biological family, Wenle gradually adjusted to his new life. His father later said the boy appeared to miss the family that had raised him. His biological family allowed him to maintain contact with his former caregiver, according to Sina News.Wenle subsequently focused on his education. He scored 632 points (out of 750) in China's national college entrance examination, known as the Gaokao, in 2022 and was admitted to Wuhan University’s School of Computer Science and Technology, The Paper reported, citing a university announcement.Wenle described Wuhan University as his dream school and pledged to work hard to become a better version of himself, Beijing Times reported.He graduated with a bachelor's degree in computer science and technology at the university's graduation ceremony on June 16, 2026. Chinese media subsequently reported that he would continue his studies there through an integrated master's-doctoral program in computer science.Reflecting on his journey, Wenle expressed gratitude to his parents for never giving up their search. Without their efforts, he said, he might have remained in a rural village, working in farming or raising livestock, according to the South China Morning Post.Inspiring storyWenle's experience has also drawn attention to the wider problem of child abduction in China. His case was among the real-life stories that inspired "Dearest," a 2014 Chinese-Hong Kong drama directed by Peter Chan.Wenle has since shared his experience on social media and used his platform to support families searching for missing children.When Wenle arrived at Wuhan University on Aug. 18, 2022, to begin his undergraduate studies, then-president Dou Xiankang greeted him with a hug.Dou said he had watched the film based on Wenle’s story and found it moving.