Seventeen-year-old Liu Liang stumbled into the media spotlight this spring when he was falsely accused of presenting a fake winning lottery ticket in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. It took 70 days for him to clear his name and pick up his winnings, but on June 4 he finally got his BMW325i car, 120,000 yuan and a sincere apology from the Shaanxi Provincial Sports Lottery Administrative Center for making him the victim in the infamous lottery fraud.
Now young Liu has sold the car, given the money away and gone to live at the home of a relative on remote Qinling Mountain, the Chengdu Commercial Daily reported Monday.
"I feel relieved and safe here in this mountain village, so I decided to stay." Liu Liang said he could not stand the pressure of media attention. Also, because so many strangers came looking for him in his hometown, he feared for his own safety.
Liu gave the money from the car and his cash winnings to his father.
"I'm too young, so my father is taking care of my prize. He lent 240,000 yuan to my uncle to buy a house."
Liu's father doubts they will ever get that money back. No IOU or promissory note was signed.
"They are our relatives. It is impolite to require such things,"said Liu's father.
Liu said he will return to Xi'an when the annual draft registration starts. He wants to be a soldier, like his elder brother who is serving in the army.
The lottery scandal in Xi'an resulted in the arrests of five people and the removal of several government officials.
(Shenzhen Daily June 30, 2004)
