On November 21, a netizen posted online claiming that in Changping Town, Dongguan City, Guangdong Province, a freshman student named Liao fell to death from the 8th floor of Changping Middle School campus. The police stated it was a suicide, but parents questioned the cause of their child’s death.
According to Liao’s mother, Ms. Huang, around 5:19 pm on the 17th, the child’s father dropped him off at the school gate. He arrived at the dormitory around 5:25 pm. After staying in the dorm for about seventeen to eighteen minutes, Liao came out briefly, went back in, then immediately came out again and fell from the corridor on the 8th floor.
Ms. Huang stated that they are still unclear about what happened during the fifteen minutes or so after their child returned to the dormitory, leading to the sudden fall from the 8th floor.
What made parents angry and puzzled further was that the school informed them more than 80 minutes after the incident, causing them to miss the opportunity to bid farewell to their child for the last time.
Ms. Huang mentioned that her daughter had just started junior high school for a little over 2 months. She usually stayed at the school from Monday to Friday and went home on weekends, then returned to the school to board on Sunday afternoons.
She described her daughter as shy and introverted but very obedient and sensible. There were no conflicts at home before the incident. However, “The police investigation result stated it was suicide. The reason for the suicide has also not been investigated.”
Following the incident, Ms. Huang repeatedly requested to view the surveillance videos from the school, but the school delayed or refused under various pretexts. Moreover, according to the “Cherish Love Cultural Inheritance Studio,” local official media in Dongguan did not dare to report the incident, and it was only exposed by a self-media outlet in Jiangxi.
Ms. Huang demanded a clear explanation from the school, stating that no one would just jump from a building for no reason, there must be a cause.
On November 22, reporters tried to contact Changping Middle School (junior high section) and Changping Sub-Bureau of Public Security Bureau in Dongguan, but both refused interviews. The staff at the Publicity, Education, Culture, Sports and Tourism Office of Changping Town, Dongguan City stated that the person in charge of public opinion was in a meeting in the city and others were not aware of the specific situation.
The incident sparked heated discussions online, with some attributing it to “excessive academic pressure.” However, many netizens raised concerns such as the delay in informing parents, speculating there might be something being concealed. Some questioned why a whole hour had passed before notifying parents, and if there was bullying involved given the short duration since the start of the school year.
One netizen revealed, “The video was suppressed before.”
Another parent in Guangdong shared, “My fourth-grade child fell to death at the school, and the school didn’t offer a reasonable explanation. When I protested, they forcibly removed me. It’s difficult for ordinary people to fight for their rights.”