Anonymous act of honesty in Beijing

Last year, while touring my parents to Beijing China to fulfill one of their dreams, we experienced an incident most tourists try to avoid, losing a wallet (literally). However, it was through an anonymous act of integrity by an ordinary Chinese, we believe to be a construction worker at the Beijing Olympics site, made for a memorable visit. Below is an excerpt of the trip by my dad:

Our visit to Beijing, China was a trip of a lifetime. The tours of Tianamen Square, the Forbidden City, the Heavenly Temple and the Great Wall of China, among others, were simply amazing. Our three-day visit was capped with a spectacular Chinese gymnastics evening show that we saw at a local theater and Mom’s shopping at what appeared to be the biggest mall on a large boulevard - closed to vehicular
traffic - not too far from the 5-star Beijing Hotel). We never expected to see so much free trade and capitalistic enterprise in a communist country that has been under authoritarian rule for almost half a century. This is truly mind-boggling.

As awesome as all these had been to us, the most amazing thing happened when we visited the site of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. While touring the huge area still under construction, my wallet slipped off my side pocket. As soon as we returned to the hotel, I called the credit card and banking companies about the loss and they promised to send immediate replacements. But shortly before we retired for the evening, my son received a call from the front desk informing us that the Olympics police headquarters, about 30 miles away, were in possession of my wallet.

After an hour trip in a taxi accompanied by a hotel receptionist who acted as our translator, we retrieved my wallet with everything in it - family pictures, credit cards, ATM cards, and about $200 cash in various currencies. Mom, my son, and I could not believe what had happened. My son offered to give a reward to the Chinese worker who apparently found my wallet but the officer-in-charge said it was not necessary.