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Chinese man, 71, finds 420,000 yuan in unclaimed pension after 21 years collecting scrap
En breve
A 71-year-old man surnamed Lu in Changde, Hunan province, who collected scrap for 21 years, discovered roughly 420,000 yuan (about 84 million won) in a pension account he did not know existed, after receiving a bank card linked to the account in late September. Social welfare staff who met him in winter 2024 while he was living in an abandoned building helped him move to a shelter and disclose his personal details. His pension is about 3,700 yuan a month and had accumulated since he reached pension age in 2015, according to a welfare worker cited by the reports.
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A 71-year-old man surnamed Lu in Changde, Hunan province, who collected scrap for 21 years, discovered about 420,000 yuan (roughly 84 million won) in a pension account he did not know he had, after receiving a bank card linked to the account in late September, according to reports citing the South China Morning Post and the Changde Daily. [ 1 , 2 ]
Asia Economy reported the exact balance as 420,204 yuan, while Maeil Business put it at 420,000 yuan. Both said his pension was about 3,700 yuan a month and that roughly 10 years of payments had accumulated into the sum. [ 1 , 2 ]
According to the reports, Lu graduated from a technical school and worked for 30 years at a state-run store in Zhuzhou, Hunan, until he was laid off in the early 2000s with compensation. After spending the compensation he fell into debt and began collecting waste, later moving to Changde, where he has lived since. [ 1 , 2 ]
In the winter of 2024, Wu Jinhui and colleagues at a Changde social welfare centre found him living in an abandoned building, the reports said. Wu said Lu initially refused a move to a temporary shelter but accepted after staff provided supplies frequently and promised support; he then agreed to move to a shelter and disclosed his personal information. [ 1 , 2 ]
Wu said that under China's retirement policy Lu reached pension age in 2015, at the age of 60, and became entitled to payments from then on. Lu said he had believed he needed to pay into a long-term insurance scheme himself after losing his job, but could not afford the premiums. He had no mobile phone and, the reports said, was cut off from social changes and did not know the state pension rules. Wu said his employer had deducted part of his wages as insurance contributions during his 30 years at the store. [ 1 , 2 ]
Lu wept when he learned of the money. “Of course I am happy,” he was quoted as saying, adding that he had never imagined such a thing would happen and thanking the social welfare authorities and the relevant government departments. Wu handed him the bank card and told him to keep it safe, spend the money prudently and be careful of telecom fraud. [ 1 , 2 ]
Under Chinese law, a person who has paid social insurance for at least 15 years becomes entitled to a pension on reaching retirement age. The retirement age for men was 60 in 2015 and is now being raised gradually to 63, the reports said. Maeil Business also noted online comments urging him to be wary of relatives and not to waste the money. Seoul Shinmun published a headline report on the case, giving the sum as about 85 million won. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Por qué importa
The case illustrates how people outside formal records can go years without claiming state benefits they are legally entitled to, as the reports say Lu did not know the pension rules and had no mobile phone. It also shows welfare outreach, in this case by a Changde social welfare centre, as the step that turned an unclaimed entitlement into a payment. The documents offer no wider policy consequences beyond this individual case.
Datos clave
- Lu, 71, lives in Changde in Hunan province and collected scrap for 21 years to make a living. [ 1 , 2 ]
- In late September he received a bank card linked to his pension account and found about 420,000 yuan (about 84 million won) in it. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Asia Economy reported the exact balance as 420,204 yuan, while Maeil Business reported it as 420,000 yuan. [ 1 , 2 ]
- His pension is about 3,700 yuan a month and has accumulated over roughly the past 10 years. [ 1 , 2 ]
- He worked for 30 years at a state-run store in Zhuzhou, Hunan, and was laid off in the early 2000s with compensation. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Welfare worker Wu Jinhui and colleagues found him living in an abandoned building in Changde in the winter of 2024. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Wu said Lu became eligible for the pension in 2015, when he reached the retirement age of 60 under the policy then in force. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Wu advised him to keep the bank card safe, spend the money prudently and beware of telecom fraud. [ 1 , 2 ]
Confirmado por varias fuentes
- Lu, 71, collected scrap for 21 years in Changde, Hunan province, before learning he had a pension. [ 1 , 2 ]
- He worked 30 years at a state-run store in Zhuzhou and was laid off with compensation in the early 2000s, after which he fell into debt and began collecting waste. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Changde social welfare centre worker Wu Jinhui and colleagues found him living in an abandoned building in the winter of 2024; he first refused a move to temporary shelter, then agreed and disclosed his personal information. [ 1 , 2 ]
- He reached pension age in 2015 and his pension, about 3,700 yuan a month, had accumulated into a sum of more than 420,000 yuan. [ 1 , 2 ]
- His former employer had deducted part of his wages as social insurance contributions during his 30 years at the store, according to Wu. [ 1 , 2 ]
- He had no mobile phone and said he had been cut off from social changes and did not know the state pension rules. [ 1 , 2 ]
Aún sin aclarar
- The balance in the account Maeil Business reported about 420,000 yuan while Asia Economy reported the exact figure of 420,204 yuan; the documents do not explain the difference.
- The won equivalent of the sum Maeil Business and Asia Economy converted it to about 84 million won, while Seoul Shinmun's headline put it at about 85 million won.
- What Lu has done with the money or whether he has withdrawn it The documents end with the advice from the welfare worker and do not say whether the funds were accessed.
- The specific date in late September when he received the card The documents say only “late last month” relative to the 5 October publication date.
Qué dicen los medios locales
Cronología, hora local
- Maeil Business publishes a report saying Lu found about 420,000 yuan in his pension account after receiving the linked bank card in late September. [ 1 ]
- Asia Economy publishes a report citing SCMP and the Changde Daily, giving the exact balance as 420,204 yuan and detailing his 30 years at a state-run store and the winter 2024 welfare visit. [ 2 ]
- Seoul Shinmun publishes a headline report on the case, putting the sum at about 85 million won. [ 3 ]