Woman wins S$1,600 McDonald's voucher, goes all over HK treating strangers to free meals

When a female tourist from mainland China won a McDonald’s voucher worth HK$10,000 (S$1,600) she could use in Hong Kong, she was faced with a dilemma.

She was leaving the next day and could not use the voucher by herself, and in-store gift cards were sold out.

Undaunted, the tourist decided to embark on a 24-hour giveaway across Hong Kong, turning her good fortune into a blessing for everyone.

Her journey

In a post on Xiao Hong Shu, the tourist detailed her experience of hosting this giveaway. She travelled across Hong Kong, calling on both friends and strangers to collect the food. The voucher had a HK1,000 (S$162) limit for every time it was used, so she went around Hong Kong to place orders at different outlets.

In her post, the tourist described herself as an introvert, and admitted that she had difficulty taking the first step. She was flustered trying to give away McDonald’s in front of the store, switching between Chinese and English to promote her food.

She had even tried shouting inside the store, saying, “Who wants McDonald’s? I’ll buy it for you.” but her offer was not taken up as many people had already bought their food.

Some passerbys exchanged small tokens for her free meals, which she kept as souvenirs.

Following this, she took the food to Lan Kwai Fong to hand it out in the evening. She distributed burgers to the elderly, sanitation workers, and the homeless.

The next morning, she reserved another batch of food in Wan Chai for sanitation workers.

Finally, she headed to Tsim Sha Tsui to finish up the final HK$1,000 (S$160) she had left. She paid for an entire crowd’s meal, concluding her 24-hour giveaway.

With great power comes great responsibility

The tourist admitted online that she was exhausted and felt a strong sense of responsibility for this giveaway. The long hours of standing had left her feeling as if her “back was about to break”. In a funny yet weary anecdote, she had taken a burger for herself and was eager to eat it, but a mix-up left her with a bag full of sauce.

She also felt panicked as she feared that poor administration on her part would cause chaos or disappointment.

She suffered from severe stomach pain from nerves and not having eaten dinner, and had to get some medicine.

She said that she only had one thought at that time, “I can't give up. So many people are looking forward to this event. I can't let them down. I will definitely be able to get things done smoothly and safely.”

The aftermath

As the woman departed on a high-speed train, she expressed her gratitude towards Hong Kong, for allowing her to spread happiness and joy to so many people.

She also recalled how students and locals from various places helped to distribute meals and bring her from place to place. Moved to tears, she said she never imagined that something so simple would evoke so much joy.

Netizens have since dubbed her “Hong Kong McDonald’s Hero”, pointing out the positive publicity effect her actions had.

McDonald’s has specially gifted her another gift card, which the woman has said she would use to treat cleaners, family, and friends to meals back in mainland China.