Chinese father ties son up with rope and talks to police about dropping out of school

A man in central China tied his teenage son with rope in public because the boy was failing at school, sparking a heated debate about parenting styles in the country.

The two were caught on video fighting in Hunan province, with the boy resisting his father’s attempts to restrain him with ropes and take him to the police station, Mengma Video reports.

The fight took place outside a store. The store owner told local media that the father, whose identity remained unknown, was a migrant worker who had traveled 1,000 kilometers from Zhejiang in eastern China to Hunan after the boy’s teachers called to complain about him.

The store owner said the teenager, who was between 14 and 15 years old, was a regular truant and had been on the verge of dropping out for some time. It was unclear whether the boy’s mother played a role in his life.

“He just hangs out on the streets. He smokes and is addicted to alcohol and gambling,” said the shop owner.