An eight-year-old boy in eastern China has sparked huge online debate after cutting up his mother’s gold necklace and gifting the pieces to his classmates as tokens of friendship.
The incident, which happened in Zaozhuang, Shandong province, only came to light a month later when the boy’s sister mentioned that one of his classmates had received “a piece of gold” from him.
His mother, surnamed Sun, said on social media: “Maybe you think this sounds like a funny made-up story, but it’s true.”
How the parents found out
When confronted, the boy admitted that the gold pieces came from his mother’s necklace — a marriage souvenir bought years earlier by his father.
Confused and shocked, the parents checked their home CCTV. The footage showed the eight-year-old opening a drawer, taking out the gold necklace, heating it with a lighter, and using pliers — and even his teeth — to break it into small chunks.
He couldn’t remember how many classmates he gifted the pieces to, nor did he know where the remaining gold ended up.
In the end, the parents were able to recover only a tiny portion of the necklace.
A very expensive “friendship gift”
Gold jewellery in China currently sells for around 1,200 yuan per gram.
Sun’s necklace weighed about 8 grams — meaning the boy unintentionally gave away nearly 10,000 yuan (approx. US$1,360) worth of gold.
When asked if he understood the value of gold, the boy simply answered that he didn’t know.
Reports say his father punished him physically, though online commentators and a lawyer later pointed out that this violated China’s Juvenile Protection Law.
Internet reacts
The story quickly went viral, with many people joking about how the boy’s generosity might escalate in the future.
One person wrote: “If you don’t educate him properly, he may sell your house one day.”
Another joked that if the gold pieces were given to girls, perhaps Sun shouldn’t pursue the matter:
“One of them might become your daughter-in-law in the future.”
Despite the family recovering only a fraction of the necklace, the unusual act has turned the young boy into an unexpected online sensation.
