Courier finds, returns 2.2-kg gold bar

A local courier has won widespread praise after returning a 2.2-kilogram gold bar worth about 1.88 million yuan (US$264,000) that he found on a street in Shenzhen.

Courier Xie is the hero who hands over the 2.2-kilogram gold bar to a traffic officer in Shuibei, Luohu District, on Saturday. Photos from WeChat account "深圳发布“

On Saturday afternoon, courier Xie was making deliveries in the Shuibei area of Luohu District — one of China’s largest gold and jewelry hubs — when he spotted the heavy bar on the ground, according to Chinese media reports.

“It felt really heavy but I was in a rush, so the first thing I did was hand it to a traffic officer nearby,” Xie said. The ingot weighed exactly 2,267.83 grams and was valued at roughly 1.88 million yuan based on that day’s gold price.

               The 2.2-kilogram gold bar, recovered in Shenzhen, is valued at approximately 1.88 million yuan. 

Traffic policeman Hou Guodong, who was directing traffic nearby, said he received the bar and immediately radioed the command center. Minutes later, a man arrived claiming to be the owner.

After checking his ID, purchase receipt, and surveillance footage showing how the bar had been dropped, Hou found that everything matched. “He produced a receipt for 2,267.83 grams. Everything matched, so we returned it,” Hou told reporters.

Traffic officer Hou Guodong holds the recovered gold bar on a street in Luohu District, as captured by a passerby on Saturday.

The owner later contacted Xie and offered a 1,000-yuan thank-you envelope, which Xie politely declined. “A piece of gold that big must have caused the owner a lot of anxiety. I’m proud I could help — it felt really worthwhile,” Xie told the media.

Xie’s store manager praised his actions, saying, “He deserves a big thumbs-up, and the company will definitely reward him. We hope this reminds everyone that staying honest still matters.”