Taiwanese man unites with South African sister after 30-year wait

A set of handwritten letters, a fading photograph carried in a wallet for more than 30 years and a single Facebook post have reunited a Taiwanese man with his South African half-sister, whom he had never met.

For 42-year-old Jay Lin, who lives in Taiwan, the reunion marked the end of a search that began in childhood after his mother Olive told him he had an older sibling living in Port Elizabeth, now Gqeberha.

“I learned about Cindy when I was still a child,” Lin told TimesLIVE. “Although we grew up in different countries and cultures, I always felt that she was part of my family.”

When Cindy was 17, she sent letters and photographs to him, hoping to make contact. Lin was unable to understand English, and never replied.

Instead, he kept every letter and photograph.

“The letters and photographs were the only connection I had to my sister,” said Lin. “I bought a dictionary and tried to translate the letters word by word by myself. Unfortunately, she wrote in cursive handwriting, and I struggled to read it.”

Years later, Lin asked his English teacher to help translate the letters, but instead his teacher encouraged him to learn the language well enough to read them himself.

Even after changing wallets over the years, one photograph of his sister always remained with him.

“I carried it everywhere. It reminded me that one day I had to find her.”

Lin said he had spent years searching online after Facebook became popular but was unable to identify the correct Cindy among many people with the same name. As technology improved, he said artificial intelligence tools helped him organise information and narrow down possible locations.

“I decided that if I did not try now, I might regret it for the rest of my life.”

He eventually shared his story in a Facebook post, appealing for help to find his half-sister. The first message came from someone who recognised themselves in one of the old family photographs. “Before the message was even translated, I was already crying because I knew I had finally found someone connected to my sister.”

Soon afterwards, Cindy was located.

“It is difficult to describe that feeling. For more than 30 years she was only a memory, and suddenly she was a real person speaking to me again.”

For Cindy, who’s married name is Prinsloo, the reunion was emotional.

When she was in matric at Lawson Brown High School, she said she had thought to learn more about her birth mother and family in Taiwan.

“I reached out as I was wondering how they were doing and if one day we could meet.”

She recalls sitting down to write the letters but feeling uncertain about what to say. “I remember being shy and not knowing what to say or what they would be interested in. I didn’t know what life was like in Taiwan.”

As the years passed without a response, she assumed they had built happy lives and perhaps did not know who she was.

When Lin’s Facebook post eventually found its way to her, she said she was overwhelmed. “I was stunned. Relief that I could finally add some pieces to my puzzle of my life.”

She said discovering that Lin had kept her letters and photographs for more than three decades brought her to tears.

Their first conversation focused on confirming each other’s identities before quickly turning into expressions of affection.

“We shared the love we have always felt for each other without actually meeting or knowing if the other knew each other.”

Since reconnecting, both siblings have begun sharing family photographs, memories and stories that neither realised the other possessed. “I grew up knowing I had two Taiwanese brothers. I always loved them. Now I can meet them.”

She hopes to build a close relationship with both.

“I want them in my life as much as my family I grew up with. I already love them and I can’t wait to meet up, hopefully soon, to hug them and share more memories.”

Lin also hopes to travel to South Africa one day.

“Meeting Cindy in person would mean completing a journey that started when I was a child.”

For now, he said, simply being able to speak to her feels extraordinary. “The distance between Taiwan and South Africa is very far, but today we can speak as family. That alone already feels like a miracle.”

Lin hopes their story encourages others not to give up on reconnecting with loved ones.

“Life is short, and it is never too late to reach out,” said Lin.

TimesLIVE