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Jane Li

A 15-year-old Chinese boy committed suicide by drowning himself in a reservoir after leaving a note saying he could not focus on his studies and did not want to burden his parents or become a worthless member of society.
Death of boy, 15, prompts crackdown on child labour in southern Chinese province
A search team discovered the body of the unnamed boy – one of the couple’s three children – from Ganzhou, Jiangxi province, on Sunday, the day after he left the note and was reported missing, the Southern Metropolis News reported.
“I know clearly that I cannot make it into high school and I don’t want to add any more burden on you, Mum and Dad,” the boy wrote in the note.
I know clearly I cannot make it into high school and don’t want to add any more burden on you, Mum and Dad ... I don’t want to be a worthless member of society or live off you, so I can only choose to die
Unnamed Chinese boy’s suicide note to parents
“It must be so tough for you to bring up us three children. I know the other two are doing well in school while I just could not focus on studying, even though I tried so hard before.
“I would want to attend university if only I could pay more attention to studying, which I just cannot achieve. I don’t want to become a worthless member of society, nor do I want to live off you both, so I can only choose to die.” he added in the note, according to the report.
The boy begged his family in the note to bury his ashes on a mountaintop, so he could “enjoy the scenery everyday”, the report said.
A mainland blogger, in response to news of the boy’s death, wrote on news portal NetEase.com: “Who told you that not doing well in school equates to being worthless or having to live off parents?
“There is no relation between these things! I want to know who taught the boy these twisted values!”

The major reasons leading to the suicide of mainland teenagers are “slumping test scores”, “being unable to finish homework”, “excessive expectations of parents and criticism from parents”, according to study on China’s education development released by the 21st Century Education Research Institute and Social Science Academic Press in 2014.
Chinese boy dies after father accidentally falls on him
Reports in China about teenagers committing suicide have grown increasingly common in recent years, with the reasons often linked to them receiving physical punishment from teachers as well as heavy criticism from parents.


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‘I don’t want to add any more burden on you, Mum and Dad’, says Chinese boy, 15, in suicide note

Members of the search team bow their heads in prayer after recovering the body of the Chinese boy from a reservoir in Jiangxi province on Sunday. Photo: SCMP Pictures

=== NO ARCHIVE IMAGE === ATN. SUICIDE14. SCMP Pictures (UNDATED HANDOUT)

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