Wang Qi, an army surveyor from China who crossed into India in 1963, was finally allowed to return home to China after more than 50 years of not being allowed to do so.
Wang was working on building roads for the Chinese army when he “strayed erroneously” into Indian territory in January 1963, according to the BBC. He went outside his camp for a walk and got lost, he said. When he asked the Red Cross for help, they handed him over to the Indian army.
Wang was detained in a few different jails for seven years until he was released in 1969. He was delivered to the remote Indian village of Tirodi and was not allowed to leave the country, the BBC reported.
Wang got a job at a flour mill in the village, married a local woman, and raised a family. Neighbors said the family was very poor. Wang’s wife was too ill to go with him back to China, and it is unclear whether he will return to his Indian family after going home, the BBC reported.
Two of his children accompanied him to China, according to India Today, and the 77-year-old was greeted by many family members, including two brothers who were teenagers when he last saw them.
Wang’s mother passed away in 2006 while he was still stuck in India, and he plans to visit her grave to pray there, India Today reported. His village has planned a week of celebrations for his homecoming.
Both India and China have seemed to seize on the story to show Indian-Chinese relations in a positive light, India Today reported.
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