20,000 yuan eaten by ants gives artist a frame for inspiration

Ruined banknotes buried by farmer in bedroom will be turned into work of art to alert elderly

A 60-year-old farmer in Sichuan province saw a small fortune eaten up when 20,000 yuan ($3,069) he had buried in his bedroom was destroyed by white ants.

But then his fortunes changed, when a young artist in Beijing offered him that exact amount for the ruined banknotes. The artist said he would turn them into a work of art as a wake-up call to alert senior citizens in rural areas about the dangers of storing large sums of money.