95-year-old jumps down village well after local official steals his pension

By Ryan Kilpatrick, March 20, 2015

A 95-year-old man in Henan Province named Tian Baoxing died last month after jumping down a well to kill himself.

Tian's wife died many years ago, according to villagers, and his mentally handicapped son passed away in May 2013, after which Tian was taken in by a distant relative who says he was in good health, had a healthy appetite and could essentially take care of himself.

On February 20, Tian jumped down a well in Changzhuang Village, in Xieji Town near the city of Shangqiu, but got stuck near the bottom, his body half-submerged in water. He was taken to Long March Hospital and made a swift recovering, returning home later than night.

His mood, however, did not improve and he lost all appetite. On February 26, he passed away after several days of eating and drinking nothing.

When his son died two years earlier, Tian had no money to cover the costs of the funeral. The village committee allocated RMB1,600 for the arrangements as well as an additional RMB600 for Tian to live on thereafter.

Tian Baoxing never saw any of this RMB600, however, which went straight into the pockets of local cadre Tian Fuchuan. Even after pocketing the money, RMB600 was then taken from Tian Baoxing's old-age pension to "pay back" the sum, leaving only RMB90 for Tian to live on. Before his death, Tian said again and again "my money's been taken away."

Several fellow villager have signed a petition seeking justice for Tian Baoxing and contacted journalists. No response has yet been received from the government of Xieji Town nor the civil administration.