On 17 August 2011 China Radio International (CRI) hosted a broadcasted event in which Norwegian Joanna Syson was reunited with her old family photos. Through this event, CRI also gave her the opportunity to meet the person who unfailingly had sought to find the owner of the photos, Chinese actor Wang Weiguo.
Joanna Syson studied and worked in Beijing in the 90's. When she had to leave China she stored all her belongings with a friend. However, when she returned, her friend had disappeared and so had her large collection of family photos. Wang Weiguo came across Joanna's photos at a flea market and bought them with a mind of finding the owner, thinking the photos must have been thrown away by accident. He searched for the owner for twelve years, but it was not until CRI became involved that the mystery was solved. CRI posted the photos on its English website and asked for the help of its readers to find the owner. Three months later, someone recognized Joanna's mother, the late Julie Ege, in one of the photos. Ms Ege was a famous Norwegian model and actress and also appeared in the James Bond movie ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’. CRI was thus able to find her daughter Joanna and put her in touch with Wang.
She collected her long lost photographs and finally met Wang Weiguo at a special ceremony hosted by China Radio International in Beijing.
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Click here to read CRI’s special coverage of the story and see some of the photos