On August 3, Chen Linbo, an 18-year-old student preparing for college, traveled to Yunnan province. Eight days, later while visiting Tiger Leaping Gorge, Chen disappeared. As of today, his whereabouts are still unknown.
Yunnan is one of the most popular tourist destinations on the Chinese mainland. With beautiful lakes and mountains, young people view the province as a place to live freely, far away from the pressures of school and work.
Chen, traveling from Guangxi, was last seen getting into a car headed toward Tiger Leaping Gorge, one of China’s breathtaking hiking trails. Chen’s sister and mother have made repeated attempts to contact him since he left for the gorge, but his phone is switched off and he has yet to reply to text messages.
Tiger Leaping Gorge hiking trail. Image via Wikimedia
When Chen’s mother contacted the police to open an investigation, they responded saying there was no proof he was in any danger and proceeded to file a missing person report instead.
“A human life is beyond measure. He is just 18 years old, still so young,” said Chen’s older sister, as per Beijing News’ official Weibo account.
On August 25, the Shangri-La police bureau issued a statement on Weibo detailing Chen’s last known location on August 11. The release also notes that authorities are currently investigating his whereabouts.
The family’s greatest asset has been netizens on Weibo, constantly posting about Chen’s disappearance with the hashtag #准大学生云南失联 (which roughly translates to ‘newly accepted college student lost in Yunnan’). While most people are posting for Chen’s safe return home, one user went so far as to say, “If this isn’t resolved by tomorrow, I intend to go to Tiger Leaping Gorge and look myself.”
Unexplained disappearances are always unsettling and we can only hope Chen is found alive and unharmed soon.
[Cover: image screengrab via Beijing News/Weibo]
0 User Comments