A little boy who gave gold bars worth US$15,000 to a girl in his nursery school class as an “engagement” gift, has amused mainland social media.

On December 22, in Guang’an, Sichuan province, southwestern China, the little girl was thrilled to receive the extraordinary gift - two 100-gram gold bars - and excitedly showed them to her shocked parents.

An online video captured the child holding an open red box, which contains the treasure, and when her mother asks what they are, she innocently responds: “I don’t know.”

The deeply concerned parent tells her to return them to her classmate the next day and contact the boy’s family, who apologise.

“The boy’s parents said they had told their son that the gold bars were intended for his future wife, but they didn’t expect him to secretly take them out and give them to our daughter,” the girl’s mother said.

“The whole situation was both amusing and bewildering for them.”

She reminded other parents to be vigilant so that something like that does not happen with their children.

The story has caused much amusement and sharing of similar anecdotes on mainland social media.

“This little boy really has guts, just casually giving away 200 grams of gold like that,” said one online observer.

“Is this like giving a 100,000 yuan dowry?”Another asked.

“My mother-in-law just gave me a bracelet, and my son asked if he could give it to a classmate because he thought it looked nice. I suppose I should be ‘grateful’ he thought to ask me first,” one mother said.

“In the first year, my daughter’s classmate, a boy, gave her 200 yuan in cash. I promptly returned the money to the boy’s parents that same evening,” said another.

Innocent gestures by children who have taken items from home to give as presents to classmates often make headlines in China.

In May, a kindergarten boy from Shanghai gave a girl a Bulgari ring valued at 19,000 yuan as a “wedding gift”.

When the recipient’s parents returned the ring, he touchingly offered her another handmade ring as a token of his affection.

 - SCMP