Man shows integrity by repaying debt after 23 years

A man in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, has finally found his creditor whom he has lost contact with for 23 years and paid off his debt of 230,000 yuan ($31,500).

Xia Chaoqian ran a small business selling men's leather wear in Shanxi province 23 years ago. In 2000, Xia replenished a stocking of leather products worth 230,000 yuan from Sun Guoxin, who, at that time, owned a factory making leather products in Haining, Zhejiang province.

Seeing Xia having trouble in paying the price, Sun didn't press Xia to return the money any time soon. Later, the two lost in touch.

Over the years, Xia has been trying to find Sun so as to repay the debt but in vain.

On Friday, Xia sought help from local media in Haining and managed to find Sun, whose business had already failed and now works at a dining hall of a textile enterprise in Haining.

Sun Guoxin, once enjoying a big success in his entrepreneurial career, had 50 machines in his factory and employed over 80 workers. He recalled having over 1 million yuan in cash in 1996. However, since 1999, his business went downhill due to short on cash and him unable to recover the huge debt. Both his factory and storefront were eventually sold to pay off his debts.

As of today, he still has over 3 million debt owed by his customers that has not been collected.

After several failed attempts to start a new business after his factory failed, Sun has been working in a dining hall since 2019.

And it never occurred to Sun that, after 23 years, one of his debtors reached out to him to repay the debt.

"I'm really sorry! I owe you such an amount for such a long time," said Xia as he greeted Sun through video chat on WeChat on Saturday.

"I'm very grateful to Sun. He knew my address back then, but never came to me to ask back his money," Xia told the reporter with the Tide News.

Having seen Sun Guoxin's current situation, Xia felt a sense of regret. He told the reporter he hopes this money can help Sun a little and expressed his desire to visit Sun in person.

"I'm excited and grateful. For over 20 years, he is the first person to proactively repay his debt," Sun told the reporter. Although he still carries a debt of over 2 million yuan, Xia's money means a lot to him. The money is a timely help and comforting. And he is deeply appreciative of this valuable integrity, he told the reporter.