"Monster That Eats Gold" Turns Out to Be Real: Uproar in China as 5-Year-Old Swallows $7,500 Gold Bar, Sparking Questions About Family's Wealth

Five-Year-Old Girl in China Swallows Gold Bar While Playing at Home
Gold Bar Safely Removed by Endoscopy Six Hours Later
"How Wealthy Must That Family Be?" Meme Spreads Online

A story has emerged from China about a five-year-old girl who swallowed a 50-gram gold bar and subsequently underwent emergency endoscopy.

Photo to aid in understanding the article. Pixabay

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on August 21, the medical staff at Beijing Children's Hospital, affiliated with the Capital Medical University, removed the gold bar from the girl’s stomach on August 16. Six hours had passed since the girl swallowed the gold bar while playing at home, and an X-ray showed that a 4-centimeter gold bar remained in her stomach.

The girl's family struggled to find a medical facility equipped for emergency endoscopy to remove the foreign object. By the time they arrived at the hospital, there was little time to spare. There was a risk that the stomach lining could be scratched or damaged, and in the worst-case scenario, a perforation could lead to severe bleeding. The hospital explained, "Because the gold bar was solid, heavy, and had a smooth surface, it could easily get stuck in the digestive tract."

Before the procedure, the medical team considered the risks. The foreign object response team reviewed the gold bar’s size and shape and the child's age to determine if it could be retrieved with a snare. However, they anticipated that the gold bar's smooth and heavy surface could cause it to slip while being grasped, so they prepared an alternative using a rubber protective cap. The team stabilized the endoscope and gently pulled out the bar using a snare, a loop-shaped medical device. Although the area where the gold bar was lodged was so narrow that even a slight miscalculation could injure the inner wall of the digestive tract, it only took a few minutes to remove. The girl's condition improved afterward, and her vital signs stabilized.

It is not uncommon for children to swallow foreign objects and be treated in the emergency room. The medical staff advised against using home remedies, such as forcing the child to drink vinegar or swallow rice balls to try to push the object down further. Receiving emergency endoscopic treatment at a capable medical facility within the golden window is key to preventing complications.

The gold bar swallowed by the girl is not a trivial amount of money. As of August 24, a 50-gram gold bar is worth about $7,500, or 10.4 million won. After the story spread, users on Chinese social media responded with lighthearted jokes. Local netizens commented, "If a five-year-old can casually play with a 50-gram gold bar, just how wealthy is that family?" and "It turns out kids really are 'monsters that eat gold.'"

The phrase “two-legged monster that eats gold” is commonly used by Chinese parents as a metaphor for the burden of child-raising costs, and some brands have even created jewelry shaped after this saying as newborn gifts, using the expression as a product name.

However, it is not particularly unusual to keep gold bars at home in China. According to the China Gold Association (CGA), during the first quarter of this year, domestic consumption of gold bars and investment gold coins exceeded 202 tons, a 46.4% increase compared to the same period last year. There has been a trend of people investing in physical gold to protect their assets instead of jewelry, and more individuals are purchasing gold bars in small amounts through installment savings products offered by commercial banks.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.