With 10,000 yuan ($1,233) hidden in his bags, a 12-year-old boy, surnamed Tang, traveled to Beijing from his hometown in East China's Shandong Province last week with dreams of working as a volunteer for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

However, because of his young age, his offer of help was refused, so he was left to wander the streets. He was so distressed that he boarded a taxi last Saturday and told the driver to drive him around the city.

Sensing that something was amiss, the driver took him to a police station where he told his story. Police helped him take a train home that night.