"A 20 Million Won Pure Gold Straw"…The Story of a Chinese Man Who Lost and Recovered It

A Pure Gold Straw Made for Milk Tea at a Cost of 20 Million Won
Lost on the Street... Recovered After Reporting to Police

A story from China has gone viral about a man who lost and then recovered a pure gold straw, custom-made at a cost of approximately 20 million won, which he used for drinking milk tea.

On October 23, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) in Hong Kong reported the story of Ms. Seowoo, who lives in Zhejiang Province.

Ms. Seowoo dropped the gold straw, which she had placed in her pants pocket, while riding an electric bicycle home at night. She only realized the straw had fallen out after passing over a bumpy road. After searching the area herself for about an hour without success, she eventually reported the loss to the police.

A straw custom-made by Ms. Seo in pure gold. Screenshot from South China Morning Post (SCMP), Hong Kong

The police officers who responded to the scene were surprised when Ms. Seowoo explained that the lost item was a pure gold straw weighing about 100 grams. She had spent 90,000 yuan (approximately 18 million won) to have the straw made, and with the recent rise in gold prices, its current value had increased to about 100,000 yuan (approximately 20 million won).

The police used flashlights to search the area and found the straw about 30 minutes later at the edge of the sidewalk, roughly 100 meters from a manhole. After recovering the straw, Ms. Seowoo reportedly expressed relief, saying, "Now I won't have to kneel on the washboard in front of my wife." In China, "kneeling on the washboard" is a widely used humorous idiom meaning a wife is scolding her husband.

Ms. Seowoo revealed that she has been steadily buying and collecting gold for the past ten years and has been using the gold straw to drink her favorite milk tea. She also mentioned that she owns a straw made of silver. However, since the gold straw was slightly damaged in this incident, she plans to melt it down and have a new one made next summer. She added that, from now on, she will keep it in a separate case rather than in her pocket.

China is known as one of the world’s largest holders of gold, along with India. The tradition of gifting gold at family events such as weddings or childbirth has a long history in China. Recently, as gold jewelry is increasingly seen as a luxury item with investment value, gold products have become even more popular.