In recent days, hundreds of graduates from the Shaolin Tagou Martial Arts School in Songshan, Dengfeng City, Henan Province, have been gathering at the school gate, demanding the return of the students’ long-held deposits, leading to multiple conflicts.
According to a blogger who focuses on mainland human rights issues, on August 24, the school has been requiring students to pay a deposit upon enrollment, which is not refunded upon graduation. From the 21st to the 23rd of August, hundreds of graduates gathered at the school gate for three consecutive days demanding the return of their deposits. It was revealed by the students that each of them was owed varying amounts ranging from 3000 to 5000 yuan, with some being withheld for more than ten years.
During the protests, conflicts arose multiple times between the students and school staff, resulting in at least one student being injured.
The video footage shows a large group of graduates shouting “refund” at the school gate, leading to clashes. Someone can be heard shouting, “Tagou School is attacking people,” while a male student is seen lying on the ground with medical personnel providing assistance, surrounded by five police officers, after which the student was taken away for medical attention.
The protests continued from day to night. Authorities deployed a large number of police to the school for “maintaining stability.” By August 23, after three days of collective protests, most of the graduates had retrieved their deposits.
Public records show that the Shaolin Tagou Martial Arts School is located 500 meters east of the Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng City, Henan Province. It was founded by Liu Baoshan (a ninth-degree Chinese martial artist) in 1978 as a private martial arts school, with Liu Haike, the chairman and head coach, being Liu Baoshan’s son. The supervising unit is the Dengfeng City Education Bureau.
As of September 2023, the school had over 35,000 students and teachers.
It was reported that bullying incidents had occurred multiple times at the school. According to “Red Star News” on August 6, Mr. Wang from Shenyang, Liaoning, reported that in December of last year, he introduced his younger brother into the Tagou Martial Arts School with the help of his friend in Henan, who was a coach at the school. He had transferred 45,000 yuan to the coach, Li, and asked for assistance and care for his brother. From March 10 to the end of July this year, his friend in Henan had treated Li and another coach, Zhang, to meals and bathhouses several times.
Mr. Wang stated that on July 27, while he was sharing a meal with the coaches to show gratitude, he learned from his brother that the younger boy had been bullied by older students at the school. Despite having bought a car for his brother, the car keys delivered by courier to the school were intercepted by Coach Zhang, who took the car out without permission, resulting in damages. When Mr. Wang confronted Coach Zhang about this, he suddenly fled from the table.
After revealing his brother’s experiences at the school online on July 29, coaches, leaders, and the principal of Tagou school visited Mr. Wang, offering to treat his brother well. However, Mr. Wang declined, stating, “I no longer trust you.”
On August 2, the official WeChat account of the Tagou Martial Arts School announced that Li and three others had engaged in violations and were dismissed. The evidence of their alleged illegal behavior was transferred to judicial authorities for review. In the early hours of August 4, with the help of Mr. Wang’s friends, his brother returned to Shenyang.
However, the bullying incidents at the school did not end there. On August 14, another netizen posted a video stating that a male student at the Tagou Martial Arts School in Henan was bullied in the school restroom, forced to eat filth, with others commanding him to “swallow.”
On August 18, “Wave News” reported on this incident, to which school staff responded that the incident had occurred three years ago, and the school had reported it to the police. The victim is still studying at the martial arts school, whereas the bullies have been expelled due to serious disciplinary violations.
The school’s response has sparked discontent online, with netizens demanding strict punishment for the bullies and protection for the bullied children.