Mum & daughter from China find long-lost relatives in S'pore, who sent money & clothing over in 70s & 80s

For decades, a 60-year-old woman in Guangdong, China, had been wanting to track down the children of a late relative (pictured in top photo in suit) in Singapore, after both sides lost contact.

She and her daughter initially failed to find their relatives when they arrived in Singapore in June 2025.

However, thanks to the sleuthing of the online community, they have now reconnected with the relatives.

The daughter, who wants to be known as Zhilin (transliteration), subsequently shared the story on Xiaohongshu in July.

Late maternal grandfather's wish

She told Mothership that it had been her late maternal grandfather's wish to find the children of his uncle, who had already passed.

This uncle of his had left Guangdong for Singapore when he was around 10 years old.

He subsequently had three sons and three daughters, who grew up in Singapore.

Due to health reasons, Zhilin's grandfather was unable to make the journey and carry out this mission before he passed.

A kind relative

Zhilin grew up hearing stories from her mother in China about the late uncle's kindness to her family.

During the 1970s, he would often send essentials over to the family in Guangdong.

The items included clothing, sewing needles and thread, cooking oil, and even a bicycle, she wrote in a Jul. 21 post.

When Zhilin's grandmother fell ill, he would send money for her treatment.

Zhilin described her family's gratitude towards this relative to be "as heavy as a mountain".

It was likely that the relative began sending such items when her grandfather was still a child, she told Mothership.

The last time Zhilin's mother had met the late relative and his family was in 1979, when they visited Guangdong.

He soon passed, and his eldest son continued to send letters and money to Zhilin's family in the 1980s.

The search

Over the last 20 years, ever since Zhilin was a child, her mother would often tell her about wanting to fulfil her grandfather's wish.

Now grown up, Zhilin was finally able to accompany her mother on a trip to Singapore in the middle of this year.

They arrived armed with an address they believed to be the late relative's home in Singapore, an old photo of the relative with his family, and the names of his children.

In a video documenting their trip, Zhilin was seen telling her mother that she seemed to have a very good impression of the late relative.

"Of course," her mother replied. "They helped us before."

She then used a Chinese idiom that encourages people to remember and be grateful for the source of their blessings.

Unfortunately, the address that Zhilin and her mother had was incorrect, as "31 Vorg Pisang Emas" does not exist in Singapore.

Not familiar with Singapore addresses, Zhilin and her mother ended up at a factory.

They were then directed to the Nanyang Hakka Federation, who later told the pair they could not find information about the relative's family.

New discoveries

Hoping the internet could help with the search, Zhilin shared the information she had of the late relative and his family on Xiaohongshu.

Since Jul. 21, Zhilin received many clues from online users who saw her posts, she told Mothership.

Several online users commented that the address she was looking for could be 31 Lorong Pisang Emas, with "Lorong" shortened as "Lorg".

Located in today's Bukit Timah, 31 Lorong Pisang Emas is currently a private, freehold landed property that has been sold three times since the 1990s, in 1996, 2004, and 2007, according to 99.co.

Jackpot

Then, another internet sleuth found and shared with her a Straits Times newspaper clipping from 1990 that mentioned 31 Lorong Pisang Emas.

It even included a landline number that was still in use today when dialled by the internet sleuth, Zhilin said.

On Jul. 22, while already back in China, she called the number, and lo and behold, was connected to one of the late relative's daughters.

Zhilin verified their relationship and information with the person over the phone, she explained in a post on Jul. 24.

The discovery made her tear up.

Emotional reunion

Days later, her mother and the woman had a chat over the phone, which Zhilin filmed and shared on Jul. 25.

"I have found and fulfilled my father's wish," Zhilin's mother told her great-uncle's daughter. "I feel very happy."

Zhilin and her mother will think about travelling to Singapore again to see these relatives, she told Mothership.

Zhilin said: "We have always believed that we could find them!"

Her message to them for now is: "Thank you and your family for your help during those years. Hope our two families will be able to meet again in this lifetime."

Top image from Zhilinnengliangzhan/Xiaohongshu