She Found a Diamond Worth RMB 1 Billion 42 Years Ago. Now...

Diamonds are the most resilient stones in the world and some of the most expensive items to purchase at the mall. Many women LOVE their “bling bling” diamonds.

What would you do if you randomly stumbled upon one on the street?

Some might feel like doing the right thing and calling the police to help whoever lost it find it again, while others might probably keep it for themselves.

Well… 42 years ago, the unthinkable happened.

On December 21, 1977, a young girl by the name of Wei Zhenfang from the Changlin village in Shandong province found a diamond worth RMB 1 billion!

On that day, Wei and other female members were working the field when suddenly, as she was digging, she felt something hard hitting her shovel. She continued digging for what would be the size of an egg – small, yet shiny. 

She quickly took it home and gave it to her father.

According to records, Linshu county is located on the Yishu fault line. 

In 1668, a major earthquake of magnitude 8.5 occurred in Changlin village, staggering and fracturing underground rocks with hundreds of millions of years of history, which transformed this county into China's famous diamond production zone.

Anyone getting their hands on such a marvelous piece would think about keeping it and selling it to make a buck or two.

But after pondering over their decision, Wei and her father decided to give the diamond to the state.

Experts quickly identified the diamond, which weighed 158.7869 carats with a worth reaching RMB 1 billion at that time. This discovery helped China discover a large scale of the original diamond ore.

On January 3, 1978, the China National Radio broadcast the news about Wei’s discovery around the world.

As a reward for her actions and impact, Wei was asked to name a compensation of her choosing. Not seeking financial benefits, her only demand was to offer her community a tractor, which they could not afford.

In addition to the tractor, the state gave her RMB 3,000 and offered her a more lucrative opportunity as a mine worker.

Her personality and attitude have not swayed since her diamond days, and she continues to live a normal life.

Diamonds are undeniably beautiful. But it will never beat the pureness of Wei’s heart.

On finding the diamond, Wei shared: “This was the luckiest encounter of my life. Donating it to the state was the proudest action I’ve ever taken, and I am still very happy about it to this day!”

Source: Sina

Editor: Crystal Huang

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