The grandfather said he didn't know his grandson too well having only just moved near his family. Photo / Guizhou 2 News
The grandfather said he didn't know his grandson too well having only just moved near his family. Photo / Guizhou 2 News
A grandfather in China picked up the wrong boy at his grandson's kindergarten and even took the child for an injection before his blunder was pointed out, according to reports.
The elderly man was seen on security camera footage guiding the boy – his grandson's classmate – from their classroomand out of the gate on Friday in Guiyang in Guizhou province, news portal Hangzhou.com.cn reported on Tuesday.
The incident left kindergarten staff in a panic after the mother of the collected child, identified only by his first name Hongyu, arrived at the preschool but failed to locate her six-year-old. Chinese children start school at the age of six or seven.
Parents and teachers circulated posts on messaging app WeChat, sharing the security camera footage and appealing for help to track down the boy.
It took four hours before a parent in a WeChat group identified the elderly man as his father and realised that he must have taken the wrong child home, the SCMP reported.
The grandfather mistakenly took the wrong boy home from his grandson's kindergarten in Guiyang. Photo / Guizhou 2 News
The man was not familiar with his own grandson because he had just moved to the city from the outskirts, Jxnews.com reported, adding that he is also partially deaf.
Hongyu's name is very similar to that of his real grandchild, who is called Hongrui. They also share similar facial features, according to the report.
The kindergarten's headmistress told a Guizhou television station that none of the staff noticed anything unusual when the elderly man picked up Hongyu, because the boy had called him "grandfather".
The child said afterwards that the old man had taken him for an injection, explaining that he had a cold. Photo / Guizhou 2 News
The kindergarten's headmistress told a Guizhou television station that none of the staff noticed anything unusual when the elderly man picked up Hongyu, because the boy had called him "grandfather".
In China, elderly men are often referred to as grandpa by children as a sign of respect.
The headmistress said that the school was liable and was willing to offer compensation, while the grandfather indicated that, in light of the injection, he was willing to arrange a full medical check-up for Hongyu.
