YAJIANG COUNTY, China – Taiwanese singer-actor Richie Jen is hoping to harness his star power to help a Chinese father look for his son, who has been missing for more than three months.

Jen, 56, recently took part in popular Chinese reality show Call Me By Fire, where he finished in 11th position. He is in China filming the variety show Braving Life, a spin-off of Call Me By Fire.

Jen, a father of two, met the devastated father, Mr Sun Anliang, while filming Braving Life. He decided to write a post on social media after learning of Mr Sun’s travails.

“While on the road, I met a father who was looking for his missing child,” Jen wrote. “It pains me after learning of his experience.”

He urged his fans to contact Mr Sun if they have any information on eight-year-old Sun Zechen.

“May the child come home soon,” Jen, known for songs such as Too Softhearted (1996) and The Sad Pacific (1998), wrote at the end of his post.

He also shared several photos of the father together with a poster of Zechen.

According to the Chinese media, Mr Sun, who is from Chongqing city, took his son to Yajiang county in Sichuan province to visit relatives in July. Zechen went missing on Aug 2 after he went out to play with a neighbour’s son.

Jen’s post was shared by many of his celebrity pals, including Taiwanese actress Shu Qi and several of his fellow Call Me By Fire contestants such as Chinese singer Zheng Jun, Chinese actor Fan Shiqi and Hong Kong actor Raymond Lam.

Jen’s move was praised by netizens, who say they hope the little boy can be found soon.

The local police said they are investigating the case as suspected child trafficking.