Man salvages mobile phones dropped by tourists in China’s famous West Lake, earning up to US$1,500 a day during May Day holiday as domestic tourism booms
- A lost property retrieval business at a lake popular with tourists causes debate in China, with some shocked by the price for fetching lost phones
- One local diver who recovers lost items from the water says he earns around 30,000 yuan (US$4,400) a month but says with five children, it does not go far
A scenic lake in eastern China experiencing a tourism boom has provided enterprising locals with a new income source – retrieving valuables such as mobile phones and cameras dropped by the millions of tourists flocking to the lake shore.
The famous West Lake near Hangzhou in Zhejiang province saw millions of visitors during the recent May Day holidays as the country’s domestic tourism industry has boomed since pandemic restrictions were lifted at the end of last year.
So many tourists are losing items in the lake that locals like 40-year-old Huang Yiyong have made retrieving their belongings a full-time job, with most items retrieved being mobile phones.
Huang said he earned around 10,000 yuan (US$1,500) per day during the recent five-day May Day holiday when three million people flocked to West Lake, local media outlet Chao News reported.
“If I can retrieve it from the lake within 20 minutes, I will charge 1,500 yuan (US$220),” Huang said, adding: “But if the area is difficult to access or the process is a bit complicated, I will charge 1,800-2,000 yuan. And if I fail to find the item, the price is only 700 yuan.”
Huang said it is a risky job which requires professional skills and a large investment in equipment which justified his fee, adding that his success rate is 90 per cent.
He said he normally received around two to three orders a day, but this doubled during peak tourist periods such as the recent May Day break.
The silty lake is comparatively shallow, with the deepest point at just five metres and an average depth of 2.3 metres while the shore edges are usually less than one metre deep.
Huang said this is where most tourists lose their possessions.
He said one woman paid him 1,200 yuan to retrieve her mobile after she lost her grip and dropped it in the lake while standing on the bank during the recent holiday.
Huang said he charged a lower price if he did not need to wear diving clothes or use any equipment and just lay on his stomach on the bank and reached into the water to find the item.
“You are lucky!” Huang told her afterwards.
The relieved woman told Chao News: “I had to spend the money. I had tried, but I couldn’t reach it.”
Huang said he earned around 30,000 yuan (US$4,400) a month on average, which helped with raising five children, four of whom are still at school and the youngest just one-year-old.
“My wife and my kids all live in my hometown in Hunan province in southern China. I need to send them at least 10,000 yuan each month,” he said. “So I have to work hard for my family!”
The news story started a heated discussion online about jobs like Huang's after it was viewed 56 million times on Weibo and 5 million times on Douyin.
“I feel concerned for his safety. Diving is dangerous. Visibility in the lake is low, and there are many weeds. It’s hard to deal with emergencies,” one person said in the comments section.
“If one party is willing to pay, and the other party is willing to provide this service, then there’s no problem with the industry,” another person said.
Another person commented: “I am speechless that he charges 700 yuan even when he doesn’t retrieve the item. It is so expensive.”
The West Lake Management Office stated on May 3 that long sticks were available for tourists to use to retrieve lost items from the lake and that staff could also provide assistance free-of-charge. The office added that its staff had helped 30 people recover their mobile phones during the recent holiday.
