A 13-year-old boy from Hubei was sent to a “youth growth base” for discipline, but just 7 days later, he was beaten by the “class teacher” causing a fracture in his right frontal sinus, leading to blindness. Even after undergoing skull surgery, his right eye still cannot see. The incident has raised concerns.
The boy, named Zhang Hao (pseudonym), had been attending the second grade of junior high school and began skipping classes and staying out at night in April. His father, Mr. Zhang from Jiujiang, Jiangxi, recounted to The Poster News his son’s experience at the Hongzhi Reach “youth growth base” in Yangxin County, Huangshi City, Hubei.
Mr. Zhang saw the promotion of the base online and visited the facility with his family on May 2. At the time, the base promised “no beating or scolding of children.” Subsequently, Mr. Zhang paid a total of 32,800 yuan for a 6-month training program for his son.
On May 3, staff from the Hongzhi Reach base drove to Jiujiang under the pretext of “cooperating in the investigation of a telecommunications fraud case” and took Zhang Hao to the base.
After arriving at the base, a “class teacher” named Zhang initiated a WeChat group with Zhang Hao’s parents. The parents were instructed not to contact their child directly for 6 months, only to receive updates on his situation through photos and videos posted in the group by teachers.
On May 11 at 3 pm, the base suddenly informed the parents that the child had “fallen and gotten injured.” However, upon reaching the hospital in Wuhan, the parents found extensive injuries on the child’s eyes, ears, head, and hands, indicating a serious situation.
Zhang Hao later revealed that he had been bullied by classmates at the base for a long time, preventing him from sleeping. On the night of May 10, he secretly wrote a note for help, asking a graduating student to contact his mother. The note was discovered by the “class teacher” Zhang, who then proceeded to beat him.
It was reported that Zhang not only punched and kicked Zhang Hao but continued to assault him even after he knelt down, causing him to bleed from his nose and lose consciousness. Zhang Hao recalled that he lay on the ground all night after being beaten until the next morning when he informed Zhang his right eye could not see, but Zhang did not take it seriously.
An eye CT scan on May 11 revealed that Zhang Hao had a fracture in his right frontal sinus, blood accumulation, orbital soft tissue swelling, and inflammation in the bilateral maxillary, ethmoid, and sphenoid sinuses. On May 12, he underwent a 7-hour skull surgery, but his right eye still cannot see properly.
Mr. Zhang disclosed that the medical expenses for his son ranged from 300,000 to 500,000 yuan, but the base has not offered to cover the costs voluntarily. The police have now launched an investigation.
Mr. Zhang’s demands include taking action against the perpetrator and holding the Hongzhi Reach base accountable for all of the child’s medical expenses.
Following the exposure of the incident, several short video platform accounts affiliated with the base have been set to “private.”
On May 15, telephone operators at Hongzhi Reach base stated that they were not accepting interviews. Local government departments mentioned that the matter is under investigation. The Education Bureau of Yangxin County stated that the base in question was formerly a bilingual school and has since been deregistered.
The incident has sparked heated discussions among netizens, with many commenting that such so-called “youth growth bases” are notorious, questioning why Mr. Zhang paid tens of thousands of yuan to send his son into a “pit of fire.”