bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Fran Lu

A beautiful jade ring rumoured to be worth one million yuan (US$140,000) and intended for a bride-to-be in China has been accidentally dropped out of a window into a drainage ditch nine floors below.
The incident had residents of Guangdong, southeastern China collectively holding their breath for three days during a salvage operation.
The ring slipped through the fingers of a jeweller’s customer as he was trying to film it in natural light by a window, according to his son who posted the information on Douyin.
He said it was a custom-made gift his father was intending to present to his future daughter-in-law on their imminent wedding day.

The anxious man quickly hired a salvage team to search for the ring, which fell into the drainage ditch below.
A member of the team, surnamed Fan, said he and his colleagues were each paid 500 yuan (US$70) a day to search for it.
The hunt took more than 72 hours and attracted hundreds of onlookers.
When the ring was finally retrieved on the fourth day, there were cheers all round as the ecstatic owner set off fireworks to celebrate.
The neighbourhood committee said the ditch was undergoing desilting work which made the salvage process easier.
A committee member, surnamed Luo, who saw the ring after it was found, told Guangdong Television that its dazzling design incorporates green jadeite and diamonds and it is worth hundreds of thousands of yuan.
The ring’s owner said it meant to him more than its monetary value, and he was very happy the retrieved jewel was still in perfect condition.
Jade has been used in jewellery since the Neolithic period in China.
The stone was seen by ancient people as a holy symbol representing the deity – the supreme ruler of heaven, known as the Jade Emperor – and was later used by royal families as an emblem of their noble status.
It is as prized today as it has always been, and is often used in societal events to mark their importance.

In 2008, the Beijing Olympics mounted jade in the medals to symbolise nobility and virtue, and as a visual representation of Chinese culture.
While the type of jade used in the Olympic medals was called nephrite, the jadeite embedded in the lost ring is the harder and rarer type, known as Fei Cui in Chinese.
Colour, transparency, texture and size are all factors that influence the quality of jadeite. Only the best jadeite is used in rings.


China woman marries rescuer who plucked her from under quake rubble when she was 11

China boy writes blackboard plea for used bottle donations to raise funds for sick mum

Why Chinese believe ‘It’s better to marry a widow than a divorced woman’ in relation to morality

China’s Pudu Robotics rolls out overseas charm offensive with robot dog

Trending in China

China father drops US$140,000 jade ring from high-rise window into drainage ditch, successful 4-day search sparks firework party

A father in China who dropped a US$140,000 jade ring, a gift for his son’s wife-to-be, from the ninth-floor window of a high-rise block had to hire a salvage team to carry out a four-day search to find it.
Photo: SCMP composite/Baidu

Salvage workers took four days to find the ring which had disappeared into the murky depths of a drainage channel. Photo: Baidu

There were wild celebrations by onlookers when the ring was finally retrieved. Photo: Baidu

Woman in China sues ‘husband’ of 10 years with whom she has 8 children for US$28 million in maintenance after finding out he is married

A woman in China is suing her “husband” of 10 years, with whom she had eight children, for US$28 million in child maintenance after discovering that he has another wife. Photo: SCMP composite/Baidu

All eight children, five sons and three daughters, were born to a surrogate mother in the United States. Photo: Baidu

The woman claims she has documentary proof that her marriage to the man is legal. Photo: Baidu

China businessman offering US$1.4 million to find long-lost son hassled by gold-digging imposters who call him ‘dad’

A wealthy businessman in China who has offered US$1.4 million for help in tracing his long-lost son says he is fed up with gold-digging imposters who are making his life hell. Photo: SCMP composite/Baidu

Xie Haonan, who was born in 1998, went missing in Shenzhen when he was just three years old. Photo: Baidu

Entrepreneur Xie Yue says he has been plagued by people simply seeking to inherit his wealth. Photo: Baidu

‘Useless hubby’: man in China slammed for drinking with friends, forcing pregnant, home-alone wife with signs of miscarriage to call police for help

An irresponsible husband in China has been heavily criticised on mainland social media for going out drinking with friends and leaving his pregnant wife at home alone, forcing her to call the police for help when she showed signs of premature birth. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Weibo

The pregnant wife had to go to the hospital alone, with the help of police who kept calling the errant husband. Photo: Weibo

When the husband eventually arrived at the hospital, he claimed the missed calls from his wife were due to his phone battery being flat. Photo: Weibo

‘Friendly hospitality’: 300 happy-to-help north China locals offer free lifts for tourists visiting snowy region

Friendly local drivers in China’s freezing cold northernmost province are offering free rides for domestic tourists who cannot get a ride-hailing car, garnering widespread praise on mainland social media. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin

The friendly local drivers advertise the free rides with posters made clearly visible on their vehicles. Photo: Douyin

Drivers say they offer the service because it makes them feel good and it boosts the reputation of their hometown. Photo: Douyin

‘Covered in blisters’: China bride faces permanent scarring after wedding guests spray party streamers causing severe burns

A bride in China has been left with horrific facial injuries after being showered with flammable party streamers as she emerged from her wedding car. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Douyin

Ruined: the bride’s big day was marred by over-exuberant guests who made her cry as she walked down the aisle. Photo: thepaper.cn 

The unidentified bride suffered horrific scarring which could leave her permanently disfigured. Photo: thepaper.cn 

News

People & Culture

Ring slips from fingers nine floors up as father films it in natural light
Onlookers watch search with bated breath, celebrate after ring retrieved


A man from China who let an expensive jade ring, specially designed for his son’s sweetheart, slip from his fingers on the ninth floor of a high-rise block into a drainage channel below, had to pay a salvage company to find it.


China society

Chinese culture

China father drops US$140,000 jade ring from high-rise window into drainage ditch, successful 4-day search sparks firework party

Ring slips from fingers nine floors up as father films it in natural light Onlookers watch search with bated breath, celebrate after ring retrieved

Ring slips from fingers nine floors up as father films it in natural light

Onlookers watch search with bated breath, celebrate after ring retrieved