When it comes to raising a child, parents have different disciplinary techniques, but a mother from central China may have crossed the line when she locked her “noisy” toddler inside a dog cage so she could continue playing mahjong.

After receiving a mountain of negative criticisms, the 35-year-old mother from Liuyang denied allegations that she locked her son in the cage but admitted to placing him in an empty cage just “briefly.”

The woman, only known by her surname Jiang, also denied accusations that she herself locked her son in the cage — she said that other children were the ones responsible for locking the cage door. The mother also added that she was not playing mahjong, a traditional Chinese game of strategy, during that time. Jiang said that she would never put her son inside a cage again.

“I just put him in there for a while, [but] I was not doing this for real,” she said.

According to South China Morning Post, other residents who witnessed the incident stated that the toddler was being “extremely noisy” while Jiang was playing mahjong, so she had to put him inside the cage.

Other witnesses also said that they saw Jiang lock the toddler in the cage and felt sorry for the child.

Residents from the area said that Jiang and her son lives one km away and would visit the neighborhood to play mahjong on the streets with others.

Jiang and her son reportedly moved to Liuyang after all their family members died. Local government officials are already looking into Jiang and her son’s case to examine if they qualify for welfare support.
Reports about children in rural China being locked in cages and tied to a tree is somehow common due to the lack of childcare facilities and manpower.