When the plane disappeared, the families had tried everything to find out what had happened. They attended every news conference with representatives of Malaysia Airlines in Beijing, talked to the media, and even turned to conspiracy theories, pursuing any glimmer of hope.

But gradually, when the search turned fruitless, communication with the airline stopped, as did counselling for the families.

Why China’s MH370 families are still searching for the missing a decade on

In 2016, after Malaysia declared the flight’s disappearance “an accident”, it offered a 2.5 million yuan (US$347,360) settlement for the family of each victim, on the condition that they took no further action against the airline.

To keep the quest alive, Jiang and others took matters into their own hands and went on long trips to scour for debris and to implore governments not to give up.

They have also taken legal action against Malaysia Airlines, its insurer, Boeing and the manufacturers, and attended the foreign ministry on a weekly basis to press for action from Malaysia.

But their actions have had little effect in pushing the search forward, with legal uncertainty about what enforcement power the Chinese court has over the defendants, and almost no response from the foreign ministry.

04:16

Families of MH370 victims call for resumption of search nearly a decade after flight disappearance

Families of MH370 victims call for resumption of search nearly a decade after flight disappearance

Meanwhile, the Chinese government had learned from handling the aftermath, developing more protocols to control incidents at home as well as providing more resources to Chinese nationals abroad in similar cases.

More could be done in terms of flight safety as well. A decade later, commercial aircraft still have not fully adopted real-time tracking systems due to the cost and lack of enforcement, according to aviation experts.

Now, with new hope for the search for flight MH370 on the horizon, the families feel the need to find their loved ones is as urgent as ever.

“If there’s one breath left in my body, I will find them,” said a 73-year-old relative, who lost her son, daughter-in-law and grandson on flight MH370.

60-Second Catch-up

Deep dives

Why China’s MH370 families are still searching for the missing a decade on

• 150 Chinese nationals were on the Malaysia Airlines flight when it disappeared from radars about two hours after leaving Kuala Lumpur

• For those left behind, the need to find their children, grandchildren and parents is as urgent as ever

Once, when searching a beach on Réunion, a French island in the Indian Ocean, Jiang narrowly avoided treading on a venomous snake.

MH370: 10 years on, Malaysia’s call for real-time plane tracking still unheeded

• Malaysian crash investigators had proposed early on for commercial aircraft to be outfitted with real-time tracking systems to help planes in distress

• Experts say that even if airlines adopt the Global Aeronautical Distress and Safety System, cost and lack of enforcement remain ‘the real blind spot’

‘No find, no fee’: 10 years on, Malaysia seeks to revive search for MH370 jet

• Malaysia is set to offer the US deep-sea survey firm a deal to restart the search on a ‘no-find, no-fee’ basis, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said

• The lack of closure has brought endless heartache to families of the 239 people – mostly Chinese nationals – who disappeared with the airliner

He made the comment at a Kuala Lumpur memorial event where relatives of those missing made an impassioned appeal to officials to restart the lapsed search for their loved ones, which remains one of the biggest mysteries in aviation history.

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