China Scene: Central

Strangers try to drag man into partners' debt problems

A man in Xiangtan, Hunan province, had his festive mood for the lunar new year spoiled when two strangers showed up at his house on Feb 9, 10 and 11 to claim a debt of 20,000 yuan ($3,034) that he had never heard of.

The man, surnamed Zhou, had been a migrant worker for years in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, and had befriended two people who ran a restaurant there. In September 2010, he signed an agreement with the two, invested some money in the restaurant and became a third partner.