A remarkable act of kindness by a bank in Kunming in Yunnan, China, has garnered widespread acclaim after staffs managed to reassemble banknotes shredded into over 100,000 pieces by a woman struggling with depression.
The money, totaling 32,000 yuan (approx. RM20,398), had been cut into fragments by the woman’s late sister-in-law, who had battled mental health issues.
According to South China Morning Post, it took more than 20 days and four employees to complete the task.
In June, Zhang, the woman who took the damaged currency to the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), revealed that the money had been destroyed five years earlier.
Her brother, now a widower with four children living in a poverty-stricken village in Sichuan province, was in desperate need of financial aid.
Despite China’s regulations requiring banks to exchange incomplete or stained banknotes free of charge, local banks had previously refused her brother’s request, deeming the task too arduous.
She then decided to try her luck at the ICBC branch in Kunming.
“My brother’s life is not easy, and if the money could be exchanged it would be a big help to them, so I decided to try my luck,” she said.
The bank’s response was swift and compassionate. Four employees were assigned to the task, which involved piecing together notes of varying sizes and patterns.
The intricate job took 22 days, with staff using magnifiers to sort and reassemble the tiny fragments.
“It is the first time we have seen so many fragmented notes. There are more than 100,000 pieces with some even smaller than a fingernail,” one worker said.
“There are three types of currency with different patterns,” they added, noting the initial confusion and effort involved.
After successfully reconstructing the banknotes, Zhang expressed her gratitude with a specially crafted silk banner inscribed with the message: “Take people’s difficulties into consideration, solve problems and warm hearts.”
The story has touched many hearts and generated praise on social media platforms, with comments celebrating the bank’s empathy and the staff’s dedication.
“Thumbs up for the bank. They are so compassionate towards ordinary people,” one user remarked on Douyin.
Another noted, “How hard-working the bank staffers are. They might get depressed after dealing with so many damaged notes.”
