The destiny of a group of underage cage fighters from the poverty-stricken Liangshan region in southwest China’s Sichuan Province has attracted great attention and stirred up hot debate among Chinese netizens.

The destiny of a group of underage cage fighters from the poverty-stricken Liangshan region in southwest China’s Sichuan Province has attracted great attention and stirred up hot debate among Chinese netizens.

Cage Fighters

Cage Fighters

Photo: Internet

On July 20, China’s online video-sharing platform, Pear Video, streamed a six-minute-long documentary of two 14-year-old mixed martial artists (MMA), both orphaned, training and fighting for an MMA club named En Bo in the provincial capital city Chengdu.

At the club, children enjoyed free food and accommodation as if being taken into an orphanage, but they also attended intensive training sessions and were captured being sent to participate in commercial activities and underground fightings.

b.png

d.pngPhoto: Internet

The video went viral online, and millions of netizens showed mixed reactions: Some condemning the club for exploiting poor, orphaned children while others expressing support to the children pursuing their dream as future King of the Ring.

Offline, in reality, police in Chengdu has launched an investigation on the club, and authorities of Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture have urged legal guardians of 17 boys from the prefecture to send the children back to regular school for compulsory education, China National Radio (CNR) reports.

C.png

Internet3.pngPhoto: Internet

The boys, however, are seen unwilling to return home in a series of featured videos released on Tencent Video, another popular Chinese video-sharing platform.

In one of the videos published on Wednesday, a boy was seen forced to leave a fingerprint on a waiver acknowledging the acceptance of leaving the club, while shedding tears and bidding farewell to his coach in remorse.

news.cgtn.com3.pngScreenshot of Tencent Video

 

To stay or not to stay: the dilemma deepens

When the initial video was first revealed, suspicions of the club illegally adopting orphans and exploiting them for commercial benefit dominated, as the fighters were shown in the clip fighting in an iron box surrounded by cheering adults at a local shopping mall.

 

But as the story kept unfolding, a prevailing voice of sympathy has been heard, as Tencent’s featured videos presented the children expressing their gratitude towards the club, their love for martial arts and their dreams of becoming successful professional fighters.

 

news.cgtn.com.png Photo: cgtn.com

“My dream is to fight for the gold belt of UFC (ultimate fighting championship).” An underage fighter, Xiaowu, talked about his goal to Pear Video.

“I practiced MMA to change my destiny. If I go back home, I can only do hard labor at farms or take on part-time jobs.”

Ajie, the boy seen unwilling to leave the club, expressed his concern. “I’m not leaving, no matter what. I’m not good at studying thus cannot find a proper job if I go back home. Here, I can fight and am making achievements.”

 news.cgtn.com4.png

ecns.cn.jpgPhoto: cgtn.com

The club owner En Bo, a former SWAT member and also an orphan, stressed to Tencent Video that he believed young fighters can have a better life at the club rather than returning to the poverty-stricken hometown. “I see the potential of some of the children to become future MMA champions.”

But other than fighting, the boys are indeed missing out on regular education. Though the club has employed part-time teachers to teach children basic school curriculums, it does not hold teaching qualifications and cannot fulfill the country’s compulsory education requirement, Beijing News reports.

news.cgtn.com5.pngPhoto: cgtn.com

Lin Shucheng, the secretary of the Liangshan Prefecture committee of the Communist Party of China, commented that the club should be brought to justice if proven violating laws related to compulsory education.

As to if the school “sought exorbitant profits by taking the juveniles for commercial competitions,” police investigation is still underway.

Internet1.pngPhoto: Internet
Internet2.pngPhoto: cgtn.com

 

The problem lies deeper

 

Answering to the current situation, Tong Xiaojun, a child protection expert from China Youth University of Political Studies stated the problem lies deeper than the current dilemma.

“Are they in the game because they have talent or they simply have no other choice? The underlying problem is poverty,” he told CNR.

news.cgtn.com6.pngChildren living in Liangshan. Photo: Xinhua

The region’s struggling economic situation is further overshadowed by complicated social problems of high HIV infection rate and drug addiction. Caixin quoted past data from Health and Family Planning Commission of Sichuan, which revealed a startling 50 percent of the HIV infection cases are coming from Liangshan prefecture.

Caixin commented that the situation only created more orphans.

news.cgtn.com7.pngChildren in a remote area in Liangshan region. Photo: Xinhua

Last year, the provincial government invested 210 million yuan (31.5 million US dollars) to poverty alleviation projects through education improvement in the region.

 

Video: https://m.v.qq.com/page/v/r/s/v00245xp1rs.html

news.cgtn.com8.png
A local school in Liangshan. Photo: Xinhua

GIC QR.jpg