Woman showers Hong Kong dollars from high-rise in Shantou, sparking sidewalk scramble

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A woman in Shantou, Guangdong province, caused a stir this morning by throwing large sums of Hong Kong currency from a high-rise apartment, sending pedestrians scrambling to collect the banknotes as they fluttered to the ground.

"Money rain" in Shantou

An unusual event unfolded in the Longhu District of Shantou this morning when a woman was seen tossing handfuls of HK$1,000 banknotes from the balcony of her high-rise apartment at the Star Lake City residential complex.

The spectacle of cash raining down on the street below prompted many passersby to stop and gather the money.

Videos and photos of the incident quickly circulated on social media platforms, with some people claiming to have collected multiple notes.

The incident drew widespread discussion online, with netizens humorously dubbing the woman the "Shantou Coin Young Master." The event reportedly occurred around 9am, with some online rumors suggesting the total amount thrown could be as high as HK$2 million.

Unconfirmed reports claim the incident stemmed from a dispute between a husband and wife, during which the wife began throwing cash out the window.

Witnesses reported that police and firefighters later arrived at the scene.

Local media outlets confirmed the incident with the property management office of Star Lake City.

Staff there verified that some residents had already returned the Hong Kong dollars they had collected and confirmed the banknotes were genuine.

Property management stated the money was thrown by a resident of the complex for unknown reasons and that they are cooperating with the police investigation.

They urged other residents who picked up money to hand it over to the management office or the local police station.

The Zhuchi Police Station of the Longhu District Public Security Bureau stated that the situation has been "handled" and is currently under investigation, encouraging the public to return any money they found.

A representative from the local street office indicated that an official announcement regarding the matter would be released.

Past incidents of money-throwing

This is not the first time such an event has occurred in mainland China. Just last month, in Chongqing, two men suspected of fraud threw stolen money out of a window in an attempt to destroy evidence as police were arresting them.

With the help of the community and property management, all the scattered cash was recovered.

Hong Kong has also had its own high-profile money-throwing incident. In late 2018, Wong Ching-kit, a controversial figure known as "Coin Young Master" who is now wanted by Interpol, threw hundreds of HK$100 bills from the roof of a building in Sham Shui Po.

The act caused a chaotic scene as hundreds of people rushed to grab the cash.

Wong was arrested the next day as he prepared to distribute more money from his sports car.

He was ultimately sentenced to 10 days in jail, suspended for one year, for causing a public nuisance.