After a spate of kidnappings, wealthy parents in Shenzhen have decided some tough love is necessary to ensure their 'little emperors' are equipped to survive.
Shenzhen police say four children aged 11 to 13 have been kidnapped since June, with two killed even after their parents moved to pay ransoms. However, the number of kidnapped children could be as high as 23.
Two boys from Nanshan Foreign Language School were taken, but met with very different fates.
Cao Zongkai, 11, was kidnapped in June and held for 15 days before he was rescued. Yi Yichen, also 11, was kidnapped in October, and his body was dumped in the sea by his kidnappers. The difference? According to a police investigation, Zongkai was quiet and well behaved during the ordeal, while Yichen was spoiled and noisy.
The mother of one of Yichen's classmates saw posters about him the day after he went missing, and said she worried that he was ill-equipped to survive such an ordeal.
'Many little emperors live in comfort and are used to taking a superior attitude to strangers. This could infuriate kidnappers,' she said. 'I have cut my son's pocket money and started to teach him how to protect and control himself if he gets taken.'
