Chinese mum sues son to get back ￥500k study cash

A Chinese mother has resorted to legal action after her son used a significant portion of the money she had saved for his university tuition fees to buy a new car for his girlfriend.
The 41-year-old woman, identified as Liu, has been raising her 19-year-old son, Xiaowei, on her own in China’s Sichuan province following her divorce from the boy’s father when he was young. When Liu remarried, she placed all of her savings totaling 500,000 yuan under Xiaowei’s name to prevent her new husband from sharing the money in the event of a future separation. She informed her son that the money was earmarked for his future overseas study expenses.
In addition to these savings, Liu also pledged to save an additional 500,000 yuan for Xiaowei “if he works hard.” Since her son was still too young to handle the bank passbook, Liu retained possession of it.However, this year, Liu was dismayed to discover that Xiaowei, who entered university as a freshman, had withdrawn all the funds from the savings account. Xiaowei had reported the loss of the passbook to the bank and had set a new password for the account in order to access the funds.
Liu learned that Xiaowei had transferred the entire amount to his girlfriend, referred to as Wu, and spent 200,000 yuan on a new car for her as a gift, in addition to taking a trip together.
Liu, heartbroken and feeling betrayed, asked Xiaowei and Wu to return the remaining 300,000 yuan. However, they insisted that the money was his because she had saved it for him. As a result, Liu felt compelled to take her son to court in June.
The Sichuan Mianyang Fucheng People’s Court mediated between the mother and son. The court helped Xiaowei realize that the money was intended for his future education, not as a gift. At the same time, it persuaded Liu to understand her son’s desire for independence. Ultimately, an agreement was reached through mediation, with Xiaowei returning the remaining money to his mother.
Liu has stated that she will continue to cover Xiaowei’s tuition and living expenses on a monthly basis.
Online commentators expressed sympathy for Liu, deeming her a devoted mother who sacrificed for her thoughtless son. One person on Douyin said, “What a poor mother, losing both her money and her son.” Another suggested, “If it were me, I would spend no more money on him and focus on my own life. He is a grown-up now.” A third commenter said, “What a thoughtless child, wasting his mother’s love like that.”
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