Police Recover US$14,000 Pure Gold Milk Tea Straw Lost by Man

A man in Zhuji, Zhejiang Province, has gone viral after revealing that he drinks milk tea using a straw made entirely of pure gold — and recently lost it on his way home, local media reported.

The man, surnamed Shou, said he spent over 100 grams of 24-karat gold, worth around 100,000 yuan (US$14,000), to custom-make the straw as part of his “gold lifestyle.” A self-proclaimed gold enthusiast, he regularly invests in the precious metal and has also crafted silver straws and even a gold Ultraman figurine, Metropolis Express reported.

But around 1am on October 17, while riding his electric scooter home, Shou hit a bump and the gold straw slipped out of his pants pocket. After searching for half an hour with no luck, he called the police for help.

Officers expanded the search radius to about 100 meters and eventually found the bent straw lodged by a curb.

Shou said the straw was damaged beyond repair and has since been melted down. He plans to “recast a new one next summer,” the report said.

The story has amused Chinese netizens, many joking that “poverty truly limits imagination.” Others noted the humorous contrast between Shou’s humble scooter commute and his extravagant taste in drinkware.