PUBLISHED ONFebruary 16, 2026 11:30 PMBYDrima ChakrabortyA police officer who was unable to go home for Chinese New Year had a taste of home delivered to him, thanks to his colleagues and family.
In a video posted to Weibo and Douyin on Feb 12, police officer Superintendent First Class Yang Rui, who has been stationed near China's border with Myanmar for 15 years, is given meat buns as he sits down to eat at the mess hall.
"This tastes exactly like my mum's cooking," he says, getting visibly emotional and wiping his eyes. "It's my mum's cooking."
A colleague then confirms: "These are buns made by your mother. Aunty and uncle can't be here because they have something on at home, but they've recorded a video for you."
In the tearjerker, his mum tells him she misses him, especially during Chinese New Year, but tells him to continue working hard. His dad can be seen crying as well.
Then Yang Rui gets another big surprise that that brings out more tears — it is his wife and daughter who delivered the food, and are at the police station to meet him.
"I wanted to bring him the food that he likes since it's hard to make a trip there," his wife says in another clip. "These may not even be enough.
"We'll get more food later."
The pair had to take two flights and a four-hour car journey from their home in the eastern province of Shandong to Yunnan in southwest China, where Yang Rui is based.
And despite having motion sickness, his wife headed straight to the kitchen to get the food ready for her husband.
@asiaone Superintendent First Class Yang Rui has been stationed at China's border police station in Yunnan for the past 15 years, only making the occasional trip home. This Chinese New Year, his family made a surprise trip - taking two flights and a four-hour car journey - to bring him some festive cheer and encourage with a taste from his hometown in Shandong. #news #China #CNY #LunarNewYear #police #reunion #heartwarming ♬ original sound - AsiaOne
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drimac@asiaone.com
