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Liya Su

A man who travelled a long way to pay 150 yuan (US$20) he owed for a night’s stay at a guest house a year before, has won plaudits on mainland social media.
The guest house owner, surnamed Yuan, who runs an establishment in Dongguan, Guangdong province in southeastern China, said she was moved that the man had travelled from another province to pay the money, Xiaoxiang Morning Herald reported.
Surveillance footage shows the man walking towards the reception desk at about 8pm. He takes cash out of his pocket, counts it, and passes it to Yuan.
“How much do I owe you?” He asks.
A confused Yuan is about to ask who he is when the man realises she does not recognise him.

“Do you remember me? I owe you a room fee,” he says in the video, adding: “I’m going to pay you back.”
As he explains, Yuan begins to recollect the day.
“I did not think he would come back, so I forgot about him,” Yuan later told reporters.
He tells her that, a year ago, he travelled to the city looking for work and stayed at Yuan’s establishment. But he failed to find a job and, after a few days, he ran out of savings, so he crept out.
“I do help a lot of people. Some cannot pay. I just thought he was one of those who would not return,” Yuan said.
He told Yuan he had been unwell otherwise he would have come sooner and apologised for being late.
Yuan noticed his money was all loose change, and believed he had worked hard to save it, but no matter how much she refused to accept it, he insisted on paying.
She finally accepted 50 yuan from him and he looked relieved as he turned and walked out.
“His spirit of integrity is a real gem,” Yuan said.
The heartwarming story captivated many people online.

“Integrity is gold,” one person said.
“What a responsible man,” said another.
Stories about honesty regularly melt hearts in China.
Last month, a man in central China travelled between two provinces to return 200 yuan (US$28) he had borrowed from a police officer to get home when he was completely broke.
In August 2023, a pair of siblings in central China were widely praised online after they returned 30 new iPhone 14 Pros worth 210,000 yuan (US$30,000) they had found in rubbish bins in their residential block.


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‘Integrity is gold’: honest man in China travels from afar to pay back US$20 he owed guest house from a year ago when broke

A poor but honest man in China who sneaked out of a guest house without paying the bill has captivated mainland social media after he returned a year later to settle his account. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock


The man made a cross-province journey to pay the bill he failed to settle 12 months ago. Photo: Douyin

The man’s sense of responsibility has been widely praised by people on mainland social media. Photo: Shutterstock

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People & Culture

Man stays at guest house, looks for job, fails, runs out of money, sneaks out
Travels long distance to return cash a year later, pays owner, looks relieved


An honest man in China who sneaked out of a guest house without paying after running out of money returned a year later to settle the bill.


China society

‘Integrity is gold’: honest man in China travels from afar to pay back US$20 he owed guest house from a year ago when broke

Man stays at guest house, looks for job, fails, runs out of money, sneaks out Travels long distance to return cash a year later, pays owner, looks relieved

Man stays at guest house, looks for job, fails, runs out of money, sneaks out

Travels long distance to return cash a year later, pays owner, looks relieved