Real-life ‘gold-devouring beast’: Chinese girl, 5, hospitalised after swallowing gold bar

A five-year-old girl in northern China accidentally swallowed a 50-gram gold bar, sparking viral jokes online that she took the mainland nickname for children – “gold-devouring beasts” – far too literally.The Beijing Children’s Hospital, affiliated with Capital Medicine University, reported the case that was treated on August 16.The girl was brought to the hospital after accidentally swallowing a small gold bar measuring 4cm in length and weighing 50 grams six hours prior. An X-ray revealed that the gold bar remained lodged in her stomach.According to the hospital, the girl was in a critical condition, as the gold bar was relatively hard and dense, with a smooth surface that could easily become stuck in the digestive tract. This could scratch the stomach lining and lead to severe complications such as perforation and significant bleeding.The girl was brought to the hospital after swallowing a small gold bar six hours prior and an X-ray revealed that the gold bar remained lodged in her stomach. Photo: QQ.comThe girl reportedly swallowed the gold bar while playing at home. Before heading to the hospital, her family visited several clinics, but none had the facilities for emergency endoscopic removal of foreign objects.Doctors performed an intraoperative endoscopy and discovered that the gold bar was lodged in her gastric cavity, a space that offered extremely narrow operating conditions. A minor mistake could have resulted in damage to the digestive tract lining.The doctor carefully grasped the gold bar with a snare and steadily withdrew it from the cavity. It took only a few minutes for the medical team to successfully remove the gold bar intact. The girl has reportedly made a good recovery, with all vital signs stable.The incident sparked many amusing comments online.The child’s condition was critical; the heavy, dense gold bar risked scratching her stomach lining, threatening severe internal bleeding or organ perforation. Photo: QQ.comOne observer noted: “How wealthy must the family be to allow a five-year-old easy access to a 50g gold bar?”Another commented: “It’s true that children are ‘gold-devouring beasts,’” referring to a popular nickname for children in recent years.Chinese parents affectionately call their children “two-legged gold-devouring beasts” and their pets “four-legged gold-devouring beasts” to express the high costs associated with raising children and pets.Many gold brands also release accessories shaped like a beast, naming them after the “gold-devouring beast” to encourage purchases for celebrating new births.Healthcare professionals often urge parents to keep all dangerous, dense, and small objects strictly out of reach of young children. Photo: ShutterstockAnother commenter reminded: “Responsible parents should always monitor their children’s behaviour and keep dangerous items out of their reach.”Further ReadingReports indicate that foreign objects in the digestive tract are a common emergency in children.Previous cases have seen children hospitalised for swallowing coins, small steel balls, and even hair clips. Doctors urge parents to take children to the hospital immediately if they swallow foreign objects rather than resorting to folk remedies like having them drink vinegar or swallow rice balls to push the items down.