I think it's not unlikely that if it were actually important (someone's life depended on it, or a serious amount of money was at stake), this person _could_ be

I think it's not unlikely that if it were actually important (someone's life depended on it, or a serious amount of money was at stake), this person _could_ be located. It would almost certainly require someone who speaks fluent Chinese to go to China and investigate in person, though.