A bullying case in a school in Lijiang City, Yunnan Province was recently exposed. A ninth-grade student, Zhang Xin (pseudonym), studying at a local middle school in Jiuhe Township, was repeatedly beaten by five dormitory mates, resulting in a fractured right femur and severe depression. The school has not yet acknowledged the incident as “school bullying,” leaving parents angry and perplexed.
According to a report by the Huashang Daily on April 9, on December 29 last year, Zhang Xin, who had been living at the school, suddenly left and appeared at a relative’s house, strongly resisting returning to school. Upon being questioned by her father and relatives, she confessed that since late September last year, she had been physically assaulted almost every week in the dormitory by five dormitory mates, including slapping, kicking in the chest and legs, and pulling hair.
Zhang Xin revealed that her dormitory mates treated her as a “caretaker,” forcing her to keep their phones and chargers. When the charger was confiscated by a teacher on that day, she feared being attacked by her dormitory mates and used the excuse of a “leg injury” to take leave and escape from the school.
Born in 2010, Zhang Xin lives in a village in Lijiang, Yunnan. Villager Zhang Zheng (pseudonym) is Zhang Xin’s father.
On the evening of December 29, 2025, Zhang Zheng, who was working in Lijiang City, received a call from relatives informing him that Zhang Xin was at their home and did not want to return to school.
Perplexed by this, after persistent questioning, Zhang Xin finally revealed the matter, citing a leg discomfort as the reason for taking leave, suspected to be a result of school bullying.
Zhang Zheng said, “My daughter said that from September to December last year, she was beaten by her dormitory mates almost every week. I don’t understand, how could the school not have noticed such prolonged bullying?”
“At first, my daughter didn’t say anything. It was only after being pressed that she admitted. She said that out of seven dormitory mates, five were involved. She mentioned that the dormitory mates entrusted their phones and chargers to her. On Monday, when the charger was confiscated by the teacher, she was afraid of being attacked again, so she took leave and dared not return to school.”
Zhang Zheng inquired about the situation with the class teacher, who showed him a “leave slip.” In the slip, Zhang Xin claimed she needed to take leave for a class session to get medication for a leg injury.
On December 29 last year, Zhang Zheng reported the incident to the police, and Zhang Xin was examined at the hospital.
According to Zhang Xin’s medical records, the diagnosis upon admission was “fracture of the right femur, dislocation of the right femur (partial),” requiring hospitalization and the use of a support device.
On December 31, the police took a statement from Zhang Xin at the hospital. Zhang Xin stated that she was first assaulted in late September 2025 while she was asleep in the dormitory, with her dormitory mates rudely waking her up and physically assaulting her. Subsequently, she was physically assaulted around twice a week, sometimes by all five dormitory mates, sometimes by three.
Zhang Zheng obtained a video showing his daughter being assaulted in the dormitory. In the video, Zhang Xin is blindfolded and standing in the middle of the dormitory, being kicked by at least two individuals. Based on the video, the police confirmed that Zhang Xin was subjected to violence five times.
In addition to physical injuries, her psychological assessment indicated anxiety, depression, and insomnia.
Zhang Zheng is deeply distressed by his daughter’s prolonged bullying at school. As a result, he lodged complaints with the Yulong County Education Bureau and the Lijiang City Education Bureau, hoping to hold the relevant school personnel accountable.
On April 7, the school principal, Jin, of Jiuhe Township Middle School responded, stating that an anti-bullying committee had been established by the school regarding Zhang Xin’s assault by her dormitory mates. Currently, the incident of Zhang Xin being assaulted is not yet considered school bullying. The committee is analyzing whether this constitutes school bullying.
Jin also claimed that Zhang Xin’s alleged physical assaults twice a week from late September to late December were not true. When asked how many times Zhang Xin was confirmed to have been bullied in the dormitory, Jin referred to records by the public security organ and suggested contacting the police before hanging up.
On the same day, Li, a person in charge of the Yulong County Education Bureau, received a call and hung up upon learning it was for an interview.
As of April 8, Zhang Zheng feels puzzled as he has neither received the school’s conclusion regarding the bullying nor any information on the handling of the school personnel responsible from the county education bureau. However, the Yulong County Education Bureau has refused to respond to the incident.
After the incident was exposed by the media, on April 10, Yulong County issued a situation report: the involved student and their parents apologized and compensated the assaulted student, with both parties agreeing on reconciliation. The school principal, Jin, was suspended for inspection, and the deputy principal in charge of safety, Yang, was dismissed. Accountability investigations were initiated against the educational authorities, the school, and relevant personnel.