When a young man met his ex-girlfriend while living in Beijing five years ago, the two decided to sign a 1-yuan note with their initials and a heart between them.

"We were young and we often did romantic things," wrote the man in a recent post on Baidu. "At that time … we would write love phrases on a one yuan note … we just wished other people would bless us."

The two decided to part ways in 2013, and the man eventually returned to his hometown of Changchun, Jilin Province - some 1,000 kilometers away - and opened a small market.

While ringing up a customer, he was handed a 1-yuan note that bore their initials - YJL and LZP.

"It looked worn-out, just like our past relationship," he wrote. "I haven't been calm since I held that money yesterday. It returned to me after so many years and a thousand kilometers. The past just flashed by."

While social media celebrated the dramatic story and wished the man good luck in the future, others skipped the romance and pointed out the legal ramifications of defacing banknotes.

The man replied that he would not do it again and discouraged others from writing messages on yuan notes.

New Culture