An elderly Chinese couple reported their own granddaughter to police after she stole 20,000 yuan (US$3,000) and a gold bracelet from their home, saying they had reached the point of using the law to teach her a lesson.
The woman, identified only by her surname Chen and from northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, was sentenced to six months in prison and fined 2,000 yuan for theft, Legal Daily reported on Sept 1.
Chen took the cash and jewellery while her grandfather was asleep at home. She later sold the gold bracelet for more than 27,000 yuan and spent all the proceeds.
During her trial, Chen maintained that she should be acquitted, arguing that the money belonged to her grandparents and that they would forgive her.
“It is my grandparents’ money that I took. They will forgive me and won’t hold me accountable. This is our family matter,” she said.
However, her grandparents refused to forgive her.
The elderly couple said they had previously indulged Chen, whom they described as lazy and someone who always wanted to “reap without sowing”. They also revealed that she had taken other valuables from their home on previous occasions, with each theft involving increasingly valuable items.
The couple’s decision to allow the case to proceed sparked heated debate on Chinese social media, with opinions divided over whether they had gone too far by involving the authorities.
Some users supported the grandparents, saying the repeated thefts showed that Chen needed to face consequences.
“She must have repeatedly stolen their money and ultimately disappointed them,” one commenter said.
Another wrote: “The grandparents acted appropriately. This isn’t solely about the money; it’s an opportunity for her to completely reform.”
Others, however, felt the couple should have settled the matter within the family.
“They could have resolved the issue privately, but instead, they chose to push her into a corner and jeopardise her future,” another commenter said.
The case has also highlighted traditional attitudes towards money and family in China, where families are often viewed as a collective and parents commonly continue providing financial support to their children well into adulthood.
Chinese parents, for example, often pay for their children’s education even when they pursue advanced degrees. Young couples buying homes may also rely on the so-called “six wallets” — combining their own savings with contributions from both sets of parents.
More recently, the term “full-time children” has emerged to describe young adults who live with their parents and provide household or caregiving support in exchange for financial assistance.
For families with parents receiving substantial pensions, such support can effectively function as a form of regular “salary” or pocket money for adult children.
Despite those traditions of shared family wealth, one commenter defended the grandparents’ decision, writing: “You can ask me for money, but you cannot steal from me.”
Under China’s Criminal Law, people who steal significant amounts of public or private property, or repeatedly commit theft, can face imprisonment of up to three years.
The law also provides that theft involving family members or close relatives may be treated differently where the victim forgives the offender. However, offenders can still face criminal liability, although courts may take the family relationship and circumstances into account when determining the punishment.
