TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- Just before Lunar New Year, over NT$1 million (US$1 million) worth of gold was found in a discarded wooden cabinet in eastern Taiwan.

On the evening of Feb. 3, two days before Lunar New Year's Day, while dismantling an abandoned wooden cabinet, a man surnamed Teng (鄧) chanced upon a treasure trove of gold bars and jewelry inside weighing about 1 kilogram and valued at over NT$1 million. The man and his wife immediately reported the gold to the Guanshan Police Bureau in Taitung's Chishang Township, and were soon offered a reward by the owner, which they initially refused.

On Feb. 5, the Guanshan Police Bureau reported that Teng had notified them of the large sum of gold found inside a discarded piece of furniture. Two officers were then dispatched to the scene to take photos of the certificates of deposit and count the gold bars, gold bracelets, and other ornaments, which had a total weight of 1 kilogram.

(Photo by Guanshan Police Department)

With the help of an auxiliary police officer and a furniture store manager, the owner of the gold was soon identified. After the owner was able to provide documentation proving the ownership of the items, it was confirmed that the gold had been purchased by his grandparents.

The owner of the gold said he had been cleaning up his house, as is the tradition before the Lunar New Year, and had tossed out the cabinet without much thought. As a reward for finding the lost gold and reporting it to the police, the owner offered Teng a red envelope reward of NT$10,000.

Teng and his wife initially refused to take the reward. However, they later followed the advice of police and accepted the money to donate it to the Guanshan Holy Cross Hospice.

Teng standing next to cabinet he found. (Photo by Guanshan Police Department)

Closeup of cabinet. (Photo by Guanshan Police Department)

Teng (second from left). (Photo by Guanshan Police Department)