A joint investigation team in Yulong County issued a statement on April 10 regarding an incident that attracted significant public attention after media reports on April 9, 2026, about a junior high school girl being assaulted by five of her roommates. The county promptly established a joint task force comprising officials from education, sports, public security, procuratorate, and disciplinary inspection authorities to investigate and handle the matter.
Investigations revealed that between November and December 2025, a female student surnamed Zhang was physically assaulted on four separate occasions by five classmates—surnamed Yao, He (A), He (B), Yang, and Yu—in her school dormitory. The student's parent reported the incident to police on December 29, 2025, and authorities formally registered it as an administrative case the following day. The school arranged for Zhang to receive medical examination and treatment at a municipal hospital, provided psychological counseling and comfort, imposed disciplinary measures on the five students involved, and instructed their guardians to strengthen supervision. The involved students and their parents compensated the victim and offered apologies, leading to a mutually agreed settlement. Public security authorities also administered formal warnings to the five students.
The county has suspended the school principal, surnamed Jin, pending further review and removed the vice principal responsible for safety, surnamed Yang, from their position. Accountability procedures have been initiated against the education authorities, the school, and relevant responsible individuals. In accordance with China's Law on the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency, the five students have been transferred to a specialized school to receive tailored education.
The incident exposed shortcomings in campus safety management, daily monitoring, and legal education within the county's schools, causing severe harm to the student and her family. The authorities extended their sincerest apologies to the student, her family, and the public, pledging to learn from the incident, strengthen campus safety responsibilities, conduct comprehensive risk assessments, and foster a secure, harmonious, and civilized school environment.
Zhang Zheng (pseudonym), a resident of a village in Lijiang, Yunnan, is the father of Zhang Xin (pseudonym), born in 2010 and enrolled at Jiuhé Township Middle School. On the evening of December 29, 2025, Zhang Zheng, who works in Lijiang, received a call from a relative stating that Zhang Xin was at their home and refused to return to school. Puzzled—as his daughter boarded at school from Sunday evening to Friday afternoon—Zhang Zheng pressed for details. Zhang Xin eventually disclosed that she had requested leave due to leg pain, suspected to be the result of bullying.
“My daughter said that from September to December last year, she was beaten by roommates almost every week. How could the school not notice such prolonged bullying?” Zhang Zheng expressed confusion. Initially reluctant to speak, Zhang Xin later admitted that five of her seven roommates participated in the assaults. She explained that she was responsible for keeping her roommates’ phones and chargers. After a charger was confiscated by a teacher one Monday, she feared further beatings and sought leave to avoid returning.
When Zhang Zheng contacted the homeroom teacher, he was sent a photo of a leave slip citing a leg strain as the reason for missing one class to visit a pharmacy. Zhang Zheng filed a police report on December 29. Medical records indicated Zhang Xin was hospitalized with a diagnosis of “right patellar fracture and subluxation,” treated conservatively with a brace. She was discharged on January 8, 2026. A case-filing notice from Yulong County Public Security Bureau confirmed the incident was under investigation.
In a statement given on December 31, 2025, Zhang Xin said the first assault occurred in late September 2025, when five roommates woke her, slapped her, kicked her in the abdomen, chest, and legs, and pulled her hair. They threatened worse consequences if she reported the abuse. Thereafter, she was beaten roughly twice weekly, sometimes by three, other times by five roommates. She stated she did not know why she was targeted, as there had been no prior arguments.
Zhang Zheng later obtained a video showing Zhang Xin blindfolded and standing in the dormitory while at least two individuals kicked her. Police indicated the video alone confirmed at least five separate assaults. Following the incident, the parents of the five students apologized under police mediation. Four families paid compensation of ¥19,000 each, while one family could not be contacted. Zhang Zheng agreed to a settlement after being informed that as the perpetrators were minors, refusal to settle would not lead to detention or comparable penalties.
Although physically recovering, Zhang Xin suffers severe psychological trauma. A hospital psychological consultation diagnosed her with anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Zhang Zheng insists the school bears responsibility for failing to prevent repeated bullying.
On March 16, 2026, staff from Lijiang Municipal Education Bureau stated the school had taken all possible measures and suggested Zhang Zheng pursue legal action if unsatisfied. Contacted on April 7, Principal Jin of Jiuhé Township Middle School said public security and judicial offices were handling the case and a school anti-bullying committee had been established. Jin claimed the committee was still determining whether the incidents constituted bullying and refuted Zhang Xin’s account of being beaten twice weekly from September to December. When asked how many assaults the school had verified, Jin referred inquiries to the police and ended the call.
The same day, an official surnamed Li at Yulong County Education and Sports Bureau hung up upon learning the call was from a reporter. Another staff member promised a follow-up response. Zhang Zheng expressed frustration that as of April 8, he had received neither a bullying determination from the school nor disciplinary outcomes for responsible staff from the county education bureau.