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Mid-Term Stress: 10-year-old commits suicide

According to Sina, on the night of November 17th, a child in Guangzhou committed suicide by hanging himself in his home. Prior to the boy taking his own life, his grandmother discovered that the child had only scored 39 points on his mid-term English exam.

Manya Koetse

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Trending on Sina Weibo today is the tragic of a ten year old boy who committed suicide by hanging (#10岁男童上吊自杀#).

According to Sina, on the night of November 17th, a child in Guangzhou committed suicide by hanging himself in his home. Prior to the boy taking his own life, his grandmother discovered that the child had only scored 39 points on his mid-term English exam. She told him not to play outside but practice his texts instead. In his diary, the boy wrote: “I regret that I only scored a 3.9, I wish I had listened to my grandmother the day before the test.”

Netizens have responded in various ways- most are shocked that a boy as young as ten years old knows how to hang himself. Others blame the existing pressure in China for children to get high scores at school.

“So many mistakes- it’s all the child’s fault. The parents are not to to blame, the teachers are not to blame, the education system is not to blame. Poor parents, poor teachers, poor school, that this kid did not listen, that this kid was so bad, so bad since he was born,” one netizen writes.*

Although China has recently seen a drop in suicide numbers, suicide amongst young people is still a problem. A comparable suicide case to the Guangzhou one occurred in China last year, when a 10-year-old boy jumped from a building after being scolded by a teacher. Suicide is the top cause of death among Chinese youth; school stress is often a major factor. The Annual Report on China’s Education has stated that there were 79 suicides by elementary and high school students last year that were directly related to extreme pressure to study (Caskie, 2013Roberts 2014).

 

References

Caskie, Susan. 2013. “The rise of youth suicide in China.” The Week, 1 Nov. http://theweek.com/article/index/252199/the-rise-of-youth-suicide-in-china (Accessed November 21, 2014).

Roberts, Dexter. 2014. “China Exam System Drives Student Suicides.” Bloomberg Business Week, 15 May. http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-05-15/china-exam-system-drives-student-suicides (Accessed November 21, 2014).

*(我是钢铁土豆#10岁男童上吊自杀# 千错万错,都是孩子的错,家长没错,老师没错,教育没错!家长可怜啊,老师可怜啊,教育可怜啊,这个孩子太不听话了,这个孩子太坏了,这个孩子生下来就这么坏啊。父母太伟大了,老师太伟大了,学校太不容易了。这个孩子伤害了父母,伤害了老师,伤害了同学,伤害了教育制度,该死).

 

[box] This is Weiblog: the What’s on Weibo short-blog section. Brief daily updates on our blog and what is currently trending on China’s biggest social medium, Sina Weibo.[/box]

Manya Koetse is the founder and editor-in-chief of whatsonweibo.com. She is a writer, public speaker, and researcher (Sinologist, MPhil) on social trends, digital developments, and new media in an ever-changing China, with a focus on Chinese society, pop culture, and gender issues. She shares her love for hotpot on hotpotambassador.com. Contact at manya@whatsonweibo.com, or follow on Twitter.

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China Local News

Changsha Restaurant Employee Pays the Price after Protecting Abused Child

A Changsha restaurant employee who intervened when a mother beat her child ended up paying the price for it.

Manya Koetse

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The story of a restaurant employee who had to pay the price for sharing a video of a mother beating her child has triggered anger on Chinese social media.

The incident happened on September 14, when Mr. Jiang (江), an employee at the ‘Peng Shu’ Western-style restaurant in Changsha, stopped a mother from beating her young daughter at the shopping mall where the restaurant is located.

As reported by the Guizhou media channel People’s Focus (@百姓关注), a mother and daughter at the restaurant drew the staff’s attention when the mother began physically assaulting her daughter.

The mother, clearly overwhelmed by her emotions, resorted to kicking, hitting, yelling, and even attempting to strike her child with a chair, allegedly in response to the child accidentally spilling ice cream on her clothing.

During this distressing incident, which was captured on video, Mr. Jiang and another colleague intervened to protect the child and immediately alerted the police to the situation.

But the one who was punished in the end was not the mother.

The video of this incident was shared online, leading the woman to repeatedly visit the restaurant in frustration over her unblurred face in the video. The police had to mediate in this dispute.

To the dismay of many netizens, the employee ended up being forced to pay the woman 10,000 yuan ($1369) in compensation for “moral damages.” He has since resigned from his job and has left Changsha. A related hashtag was viewed over 110 million times on Weibo (#餐厅员工发顾客打娃视频后赔1万离职#) and also became a hot topic on Douyin.

The majority of commenters expressed their anger at the unjust outcome where a restaurant employee, who had attempted to protect the child, faced repercussions while the mother appeared to avoid any legal consequences for her actions.

“Where is the All-China Women’s Federation when you need them?” some wondered, while others wanted to know why the incident was not followed up with an immediate investigation into the child abuse. Others suggested that if it were a man who had beaten his child, authorities would have been quicker to intervene.

The issue of corporal punishment for children often comes up in Chinese social media discussions. While many people find it unacceptable to beat children, using violence to discipline children is also commonplace in many families.

When China’s first national law against domestic violence came into effect on 1 March 2016, article 5 and 12 specifically addressed the special legal protection of children and made family violence against children against the law.

By Manya Koetse

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©2023 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.

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China Local News

Chinese Man Wants to Marry Deaf-Mute Girlfriend, Marriage License Application Gets Denied

The marriage was denied after a local official found the woman did not learn sign language and could not write.

Manya Koetse

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WEIBO SHORTS

A man from Gongyi, Zhengzhou, Henan, recently became a trending topic on Chinese social media due to the denial of his marriage license application with his girlfriend, who is deaf and mute.

According to Chinese media reports, both sets of parents had consented to the marriage, and the couple had already taken their wedding photos. However, the local Bureau of Civil Affairs rejected their application, citing the requirement for both parties to independently declare their intention to marry.

The woman, who had never attended a school for the Deaf, lacked the ability to use sign language, write, or communicate effectively. The Bureau advised the couple to return once she had completed her education and could express her desire to marry.

The potential future mother-in-law of the young woman spoke to Chinese media, explaining that her daughter-in-law’s situation was unique, as she had not attended a specialized school and therefore could not meet the marriage requirements.

The man’s mother expressed disappointment about the marriage being denied in an online interview.

As news of this incident circulated on Chinese social media, many people praised the “responsible decision” of the local Bureau of Civil Affairs.

Last year, one human trafficking case gained national prominence after a TikTok vlogger exposed the horrific living conditions of a woman in Xuzhou who appeared to be unable to communicate. She was married with eight children and kept in a shed next to the house, tied to a chain.

It later turned out that local officials made errors in properly checking and verifying when approving the marriage certificate.

While many people believe that cases like the one in Xuzhou should never occur again, some also feel that the situation in Gongyi is unfair to the girl. Given that both sets of parents had already consented to the marriage, and the couple had even taken wedding photos, some argue that it is unreasonable to expect the girl to learn sign language before proceeding with the marriage.

One commenter from Sichuan points out: “Ordinary people who are facing infidelity and domestic violence during their marriages already struggle with divorce. For a deaf and mute person who cannot communicate through sign language and who has no way of communicating, we can’t be sure about their marriage intentions. However, we can be sure that if they need a divorce, it might be a nearly insurmountable challenge.”

Also read: Twists and Turns in the Tragic Story of the Xuzhou Chained Mother

By Manya Koetse

Get the story behind the hashtag. Subscribe to What’s on Weibo here to receive our newsletter and get access to our latest articles:

Spotted a mistake or want to add something? Please let us know in comments below or email us. First-time commenters, please be patient – we will have to manually approve your comment before it appears.

©2023 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.

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