BEIJING - An unprecedented large-scale online campaign to help parents find their missing children achieved its first big breakthrough on Tuesday, reuniting a father with his 6-year-old son who had been missing for three years.

Peng Gaofeng, a 30-year-old from South China's Shenzhen city, burst into tears on Tuesday afternoon at the sight of his son in Pizhou city in East China's Jiangsu province, which is more than 1,000 km from Shenzhen.

"He's my boy. It couldn't be wrong. He still recognizes me and knows how to speak our hometown dialect," Peng told China Daily over the phone on Tuesday evening while waiting for the DNA test results that will prove the wonderful news.

His son, Peng Wenle, was kidnapped from Shenzhen on March 25, 2008, and the family had been trying every thing it could think of ever since to get him back.

"It's a miracle, a miracle that could not be true without the help of netizens," the father said.

"I've opened 13 blogs on the Internet and pasted my son's photo everywhere online, including the micro blogs at sina.com. Now, the efforts have paid off."

He said he received an unnamed netizen's mobile phone message, including a photo of his son, on Feb 2, the Chinese new year eve, and rushed to Pizhou to rescue the boy with the help of local police.

His son is believed to be the first missing child to be reunited with his family thanks to a campaign launched by netizens on micro blogs at sina.com on Jan 25.

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