World Cup reporter in Russia helps reunite pen pals who lost touch 56 years ago

A Russian woman who lost touch with her Chinese pen pal 56 years ago has found her once again thanks to reporters in Russia covering the World Cup and sharp-eyed friends on social media.

CCTV reporter Zhang Heyun said his crew was packing up to leave following the last match in the city of Saransk when the elderly woman approached them seeking help in her search.

“An old lady who lives in front of our apartment showed us two old letters,” Zhang posted on Sina Weibo. “She was a pen pal with a student in Central China’s Hunan Province named Duan Chunxiu.”

Fortunately, Duan’s former classmates saw Zhang’s posts on social media and believed they described Duan.

They finally tracked down Duan who, now suffering from illness, was unable to recall any memory of the letters.

She did however recognize a photo of herself she had sent to her Russian pen pal.