A woman in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, has been reunited with her biological parents after four decades of separation, in a remarkable twist that finds they had been living just 30 minutes away for years.

The 40-year-old woman, who was raised by adoptive parents in Jiaxing, Zhejiang, learned about her adoption last year after the passing of her adoptive father. Her adoptive mother revealed she had been adopted as an infant.

Few details were available due to the time elapsed, but the woman knew her biological parents were from Ninghai, a county within Ningbo. With help from a Ninghai family reunion volunteer organization, she submitted her DNA to the national police database in August 2023.

On March 8, police officer Zhao Jianping from the Ninghai county public security bureau delivered life-changing news: "Your biological parents have been found."

Astonishingly, the woman's biological parents had also relocated to Ningbo's Haishu district years ago, residing just 15 kilometers from her own home.

Days later, accompanied by police officers and volunteers, the woman met her biological parents for the first time in Haishu's Wenjiang'an village. An emotional reunion unfolded, marked by a welcoming banner, colorful balloons, and a traditional soup.

The parents had also submitted DNA samples in 2018, ultimately leading to the connection facilitated by the Ministry of Public Security's "Tuanyuan" (reunion) operation launched in 2021 to locate missing children.

"It feels like an invisible thread of kinship somehow pulled me home," the woman shared.

The Ninghai county public security bureau reports 76 successful reunions since the Tuanyuan program's inception.