text: A man who lost his iPhone ended up finding it on the other side of the world and striking up a friendship with its new 'owner.' Matt Stopera misplaced his cellphone in New York City and the only clue that gave a whereabouts to its located was when some unusual photos of orange trees and fireworks started appearing on his Photostream. Mr Stopera said he asked himself, 'Who is this man, and why are his pictures showing up in my phone?' Instant connection: Months after Stopera lost his iPhone in New York City. It ended up in the ends of Li Hongjun in southeastern China. He received the phone as a gift. The pair eventually decided to meet up! Celebrity status: Their story got a lot of attention online and Li invited Stopera to visit. When he got to China he was granted almost celebrity-like status . Lost in the cloud: Li's pictures began showing up in Matt's iCloud and PhotoStream. The first few pics were taken in front of what looked like orange trees. The orange man: Li was actually standing in front of kumquat trees - not oranges - but the nickname 'Brother Orange' stuck . 'I noticed a bunch of pictures I hadn't taken. Like, a lot of them. They were mostly of this man taking selfies with an orange tree. To be honest, it was pretty funny but also  terrifying because I didn't take the pictures,' he said. The phone had made its way half way around the world to southeastern China and into the hands of Li Hongjun. Mr Hongjun had received the phone as a gift but whoever had presented it to him forgot to wipe its contents. 'I went to the Apple Store and, sure enough, there was my old iPhone on the iCloud. Orange Man's pictures were showing up in my stream because my iCloud was still connected,' Mr Stopera said. The pictures that were being taken in China were automatically uploaded to Mr Stopera's new phone and as an editor for BuzzFeed, he began writing and Tweeting about it. Showing off: Matt was surprised by how mucy interest there was in the story. Li had even had a car sticker designed with their two faces printed on the side . Digital duo: 30-year-old restaurant owner named Li, had received the phone as a gift and began taking pictures. The images ended up on Matt's iCloud because the phone had not been erased properly . 21st century story: With the help of social media, a stolen cell phone brought two people from opposite sides of the world together and turned them into the best of friends . Going global: Users on Weibo -- China's version of Twitter -- started looking for an answer after Stopera's article was translated into Chinese and posted there . Helping hand: 'I got all of these tweets from people in China saying, 'Hey, we're going to help you find Orange Man,'' Stopera said . At one stage, his article was translated for users on Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter, and he received Tweets from people telling him that they were going to find the new owner. 'I got all of these tweets from people in China saying, 'Hey, we're going to help you find Orange Man,'' Stopera said. Over in China, Mr Hongjun got a call from his nephew who told him his photos were all over the internet. There was so much interest in the 'lost-phone-found-friend' tale that it generated more than 75 million clicks and before long, Mr Hongjun incited Mr Stopera to come at visit. Their 'lost-phone-found-friend' saga generated more than 75 million clicks and prompted Li's invitation to visit . What a welcome! Brother Orange surprised Matt at the airport, but the even bigger surprise was all the media attention . Brother Orange: Everywhere they went, they were swarmed by cameras. They developed quite a bond . The entire China trip has been well documented through a series of Tweets and plenty of selfies and it appears that Mr Stopera was seen as quite the celebrity. They traveled around the country where the pair were treated like celebrities. Photographers seemed to follow them wherever they went. They even had a car with their faces stuck on the side! 'It's not over,' Stopera said to WTSP. 'Brother Orange has to visit me now, so that has to happen.' The pair are hoping to plan a trip for Mr Hongjun to visit the U.S. later this year. 'One of the lessons I learned is never judge a man by his selfies,' Mr Stopera said to NPR. 'Because in his selfies he looks so serious, and in real life, he was just the warmest, funniest, very smart guy.' Seeing the sights: Writer Matt Stopera and Li Hongjun aka  'Brother Orange' visit Tiananmen Square in Beijing . Don't judge: 'One of the lessons I learned is never judge a man by his selfies,' Matt Stopera says. 'Because in his selfies he looks so serious, and in real life, he was just the warmest, funniest, very smart guy' What a way to meet! Experts say it's not uncommon for stolen or lost iPhones to make their way from the United States to countries overseas where the demand for them is high - but the meeting-up part is very unusual! Firm friends: Their bromance is clear to see from the selfies they posted online from their week together .
target: Matt Stopera's iPhone was stolen in a New York bar .
  Eventually he started seeing pictures on his new phone of a guy posing with an orange tree .
  After writing about it online, netizens in China managed to track him down .
  'Brother Orange' then invited him to the country and the two met up .