Chinese scavenger discovers pension savings worth about $63,000

A 71-year-old man in central China has discovered that his pension account contains more than 420,000 yuan, or about US$63,000, after spending 21 years scavenging for a living. The man, identified by Changde Daily by his surname, Ru, received a bank card linked to his pension account in late September. It showed a balance of 424,204 yuan.

Ru told local media he had not expected the money and thanked social-assistance officials and other government departments for helping him. He worked for 30 years at a state-owned shop in Hunan province after graduating from a technical school. After being laid off in the early 2000s, he spent compensation from the job and later accumulated debts.

Conflict with relatives contributed to his decision to begin collecting rubbish. Ru eventually moved to Changde. In the winter of 2024, officials at a social-assistance station found him living in an abandoned building.

He initially declined an offer of shelter, but later agreed to move after officials continued providing essential supplies and support. At the shelter, he disclosed personal details that enabled officials to examine his pension entitlement. Wu Jinhui, an official involved in the case, said Ru had reached pension age in 2015 and qualified because his employer had deducted insurance contributions from his wages.

Ru had believed he needed to pay additional endowment insurance for many years and had not realised that he was eligible. Officials said his pension was about 3,700 yuan a month and had accumulated for roughly a decade. Ru’s immediate plan is to rent a home in Changde and later visit his hometown of Zhuzhou.

Wu advised him to protect the bank card, spend carefully and guard against telecommunications fraud.