On May 13, several elementary students at Jinxu School in Xianyang, Shaanxi Province forgot to bring their textbooks and were slapped repeatedly by a teacher, leading to bleeding ears. Some children experienced symptoms such as headaches, nausea, and ringing in the ears, with a preliminary diagnosis of acute post-traumatic headache.
Early on May 14, a parent of a student from Jinxu School in Weicheng District, Xianyang City, released a video claiming that their child was slapped multiple times at school.
The parent told a reporter from “Red Star News” that their child is in the second grade at the school and the incident occurred on the afternoon of May 13, with the child being hit until their ear bled in the classroom. The parent stated that the perpetrator was the teacher and the reason for the punishment was the child forgetting to bring their homework.
According to reports, the parent provided medical records from the evening of May 13, stating that half a day prior, the left side of the child’s face was injured from the beating, leading to headaches, nausea, and ear ringing, with a preliminary diagnosis of acute post-traumatic headache. Another ear, nose, and throat endoscopic examination report from May 14 morning showed blood scabs attached to the lower wall of the right ear canal.
According to “Henan Legal Daily,” several elementary students were slapped by a teacher, causing their ears to bleed, all because they forgot to bring their textbooks. Some parents are in distress, stating that most of the classmates were physically punished and are currently undergoing medical examinations and treatments in hospitals.
In response to the incident, the school authorities stated that they are currently in communication with the parents to understand their demands. The Education Bureau, Discipline Inspection Commission, and local police station have all intervened, and the specific number of students who were physically assaulted is still unclear. The Weicheng District Education Bureau mentioned that they are handling the matter, with some parents having already reported to the police, and they will provide a response to address the demands of the parents.
This incident has sparked widespread attention on social media.
Netizens have expressed their outrage, stating that simply forgetting to bring textbooks should not result in being physically assaulted to the extent of causing bleeding ears. They criticized this form of “educational method” as indistinguishable from abuse. Teachers are expected to educate and nurture students, not use them as emotional punching bags. Forgetting a book, a minor mistake, could easily be resolved with reminders, criticism, or standing punishment. Resorting to such severe physical punishment is unwarranted and can leave lasting physical and psychological scars on the children.
“Children forgetting their textbooks, a negligible oversight in their growth, should not escalate into the painful scene of public slapping to the point of ear bleeding. Those who are mentors should exhibit patience in guiding and forgiving mistakes, rather than resorting to rude and violent outbursts to vent emotions. The classroom should never be a place of violence, and the duty of nurturing should never be distorted into a weapon of harm. This is truly alarming and chilling. Genuine education should be nurturing and compassionate, not resorting to physical harm; the bottom line of ethical teaching should be compassion and righteousness, not using authority to indulge in abuse.”
“Slapping on the face is not just about the pain on the face; the most dangerous consequence actually involves the ears. When a palm hits the ear, the internal air pressure in the ear canal surges rapidly, causing a shock wave that directly hits the eardrum – from mild congestion to perforation. If there is bleeding from the ear, it often means the eardrum has torn. A perforated eardrum is not a simple injury; it can lead to conductive hearing loss, recurrent infections, and even permanent tinnitus. A single slap may have ‘aftereffects’, with serious implications lasting a lifetime.”