Inside China's Disciplinary Schools for 'Rebellious' Youth: A Harrowing Reality

Sat Dec 13 2025 18:38:16 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

An investigative report reveals the traumatic experiences faced by teenagers in China's controversial disciplinary schools, where abuse and abduction have become alarming realities.

A troubling investigation into China's disciplinary schools highlights alarming allegations of physical abuse and coercion. Former students share harrowing stories of beatings, sexual assaults, and abduction tactics used by institutions claiming to help 'rebellious' youth. As public scrutiny grows, questions arise about the regulation of these schools and the ongoing plight of vulnerable teenagers.

Warning: This report contains details of physical and sexual abuse and discussion of suicide.

Baobao's heart still races when she smells soil after morning rain.

It takes her back to early military drills behind locked gates - and the constant fear that marked every one of her days at Lizheng Quality Education School.

For six months, aged 14, she barely left the red and white building in a remote Chinese village where instructors tried to 'fix' young people whose families considered them rebellious or problematic.

Students who failed to comply were beaten so severely they could not sleep on their backs or sit down for days, she says.

“Every single moment was agonising,” says Baobao, now 19 and speaking under a pseudonym for fear of retribution.

A BBC Eye investigation has uncovered multiple allegations of physical abuse in the school and others in the same network, and cases of young people being abducted and taken to the institutions.

Corporal punishment has been banned in China for decades, but we have collated testimony from 23 former students who say they were beaten or forced to do extreme amounts of exercise. One says she was raped, and two others, including Baobao, say they were sexually assaulted or harassed, all by instructors.

Thirteen students say they were abducted, with parental consent, by employees pretending to be police or officials.

The accounts relate to five schools run by a military veteran, Li Zheng.

The centres promise parents that military-style discipline can cure disobedience, internet addiction, and more serious issues.

In recent years, disturbing reports of abuse in such institutions have emerged in China, but despite closures and arrests, these schools often reopen under new names.

Baobao, along with others like Enxu, who experienced similar horrors, have taken to internet platforms and advocacy work to share their stories and push for the closure of these abusive facilities.

Enxu's ordeal ended after a month, her friends contacted the police, leading to her secret documentation of abuse going viral, prompting intervention.

With parental pressures leading to difficult decisions, many feel impotent against the desires of their children and societal expectations.

Both former students reflect on their traumatic experiences, contending that these schools are scams devoid of helpful education, leaving lasting effects on their mental health.