A desperate couple in China are using the last straw to save their nine-year-old sick son by performing grass-eating on the street.

The couple claimed they had run out of money after spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on medical bills for the leukaemia-stricken child - some of which were borrowed from loan sharks.

The heartbroken parents asked the public to help them, and in return they would entertain and thank them by gorging on grass kneeling down.

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Heart-breaking: The couple perform grass-eating in China on November 5 to beg for money

A father's love: The father cries when a passerby donates money to help save his sick son

Seriously ill: Kuang Han, nine, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in March

Xiang Weiling, the mother, told Pear Video that she and her husband didn't have any talent, and this was the best performance they could come up with to thank kind-hearted helpers.

She said she and her husband had borrowed money everywhere and sold all their valuables, and they couldn't think of any other ways to raise funds to cover the expensive treatment.

In the same interview, Ms Xiang also claimed that her terminally ill son, named Kuang Han, felt he was a burden to her and her husband.

The boy had apparently told the couple to give up treating him and 'give birth to another child' after seeing them using up their savings.

Last straw: The parents explain their story on a signboard as they kneel down and beg

Sad: They left their account information on the signboard so people could wire them money

The couple's heart-breaking story became viral in China after pictures and a video emerged showing them begging and eating grass on November 5 in Sanhe city, northern China's Hebei Porvince.

They put a signboard next to them telling their story. Both of them are said to be jobless and don't have any income.

The couple claimed that they come from a rural village in Hunan Province. Their son had undergone a bone marrow transplant, however his lung rejected the new cells leading to an infection.

The couple said their son needed further treatment, but they had run out of money.

They wrote 'please extend your hands to save our nine-year-old son' alongside two pictures showing the seriously ill child in the hospital. They also left their account information so people could send money to them through digital means.

A spokesperson from the Yanda Hospital in Hebei, where little Kuang Han is being treated, confirmed the couple's claims to Pear Video.

Waiting for help: Little Kuang Han underwent a transplant but his lung rejected the new cells

All out of love: Kuang Han's mother takes care of him at the Yanda Hospital in Hebei

Dedication: The couple are jobless and have spent more than £92,000 treating their son

The 34-year-old father, named Kuang Nengyong, said he used to be a construction worker, but lost his job due to his poor health, reported Chinese news site 163.com.

A crying Ms Xiang said in the same report that their son was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in March and they had so far spent nearly 800,000 yuan (£92,151) to treat him.

Ms Xiang said to pay for the astronomical bills, they had borrowed 250,000 yuan (£28,797) including 50,000 yuan (£5,759) from loan sharks.

Mr Kuang pleaded: 'In order to save our son, we're willing to go through any hardship.'

Onlookers were apparently moved by the couple. Many of them were seen donating 10 yuan to 20 yuan (£1-2) to them.

Desperate measure: They borrowed money from friends, relatives as well as loan sharks

A helping hand: Their story has become viral on Chinese media as the public rush to help them

The family's story has sparked an outcry in the Chinese public.

Nearly 100,000 comments have been left under the story on 163.com.

Many well-wishers said they had donated the money to the couple and told them to stay strong.

MailOnline has contacted Ms Xiang, the mother. However, Ms Xiang declined to give comments, explaining that their son didn't know they had been begging on the street for the sake of him.