On January 8, a video went viral on the internet showing a male student from Dianjiang County First High School in Chongqing being dragged and physically assaulted by several teachers for refusing to shave his head. The school responded by stating that both parties involved have reconciled and the teachers have apologized to the student, sparking public condemnation.
The incident took place on January 7. The school issued an official statement on January 8, acknowledging that the school’s ethics teacher resorted to forced haircutting when dealing with students’ hair dyeing issues, which was deemed inappropriate. The school has severely criticized and educated the teachers involved and required them to apologize to the student and parents in person, leading to a mutual understanding being reached.
The video shows multiple teachers violently restraining a male student who refused to have his hair cut, forcibly pulling his clothes, causing him to fall to the ground and subduing him. The student struggled but in vain, as the teachers then forcefully pulled him up from the ground and dragged him across the floor, despite his resistance.
A student who knows the male student confirmed to a reporter that the student had dyed his hair, which was against the school regulations, and the teacher demanded it to be cut short. The student did not want to comply, and the teacher directly brought people to grab him in a public area of the school, attempting to forcibly cut his hair, with many students gathering around witnessing the incident. The teacher was not punished, and the student returned to school after accepting the teacher’s apology.
Another student also confirmed that the teacher forcibly shaved the student’s head and physically assaulted him. In the classroom, the male student simply said he did not want his hair cut, but he was struck down and beaten, then carried out and further beaten on the ground, with the teacher even performing a shoulder throw.
This student remarked, “Firstly, such measures should not have been taken for a hairstyle issue, and certainly not by physically restraining someone for not wanting a haircut. It was very vicious, and in fact, more than one or two students have been forcibly shaved, indicating a problem within the school.”
Chat records circulating online revealed that in the classroom, Jiang (the victimized student) said, “I don’t want to cut my hair,” and the sports teacher Zhang slammed his head against the table, following which three teachers held him down and beat him, causing Jiang to bleed and feel dizzy. He was then carried out like a pig to have his hair cut.
After the incident, students faced restrictions on posting videos online, and the teacher who physically assaulted the student was not sanctioned, prompting strong discontent among the students. However, the individuals involved later attempted to suppress the criticism by claiming it was merely a personal issue, unrelated to the school, and expressed gratitude for the support they received, stating that the matter had been resolved.
Attempts to reach Dianjiang First High School via phone were unsuccessful.
This incident has garnered widespread attention on the internet, with many netizens expressing condemnation:
“Under this regime, individuality is stripped away, from roadside signs, new national standard electric vehicles, to low-income populations, then to student clothing, and hairstyles, and ultimately to every individual’s mind, all in the name of consolidating power.”
“The visible pigtails may be gone, but the invisible ones remain.”
“The cult of violence begins with education.”
“Where is the aspect of educating and nurturing students? Clearly, they are nothing but bandits and bullies.”
“One either becomes tamed or turns into an anti-human. Under such education, only these two types of people will emerge.”