Nearly a year after his son was injured and killed, the case was tried for the first time, and his father, Zhai Chunguang, was ready.
On April 23, the day before the trial, he was busy receiving relatives, lawyers and journalists, and his mobile phone rang from time to time. He told the media over and over again what happened, and his tone was calm, and only when he talked about the two videos that were widely circulated on the Internet and the martial arts club involved, he became excited and raised his voice, "It's too bad."
Flyer from Juying Martial Arts Sports Club. Photo courtesy of the interviewee
On June 18, 2023, an 8-year-old boy Qi Qi (pseudonym) died in an intentional injury case at the Juying Martial Arts Club in Chengyang District, Qingdao City. The Qingdao Municipal Procuratorate alleged that during the period of teaching in the club, the defendant Zhang Xianbin beat Qiqi on the buttocks and legs with the defendants Li Haiding and Zhang Jiahao because of the irregularities in the training movements of the victim Qiqi, and tied them up, after which Qiqi was found unconscious and fainted, and was sent to the hospital to die after rescue efforts failed.
In the eyes of others, Qiqi's father Zhai Chunguang is an "honest man" who doesn't talk much. Before the trial, relatives, friends and lawyers were worried that Zhai Chunguang would "can't stand it" and couldn't express himself clearly in court. But Zhai Chunguang seems to be ready. He specifically applied not to be a witness or observer, but to attend the trial as the victim's guardian in order to speak in court. The court granted the request.
At 10 o'clock on April 24, 2024, the Qingdao Intermediate People's Court held a hearing of the case. The trial lasted about five hours, and Zhai Chunguang saw the surveillance video of Qiqi being beaten for the first time, which is also a key piece of evidence to determine the facts of the case.
Observers said that the three defendants all pleaded guilty and repented. At about 16 o'clock, the court announced an adjournment and announced the verdict at a later date.
The child who fell to the ground
On weekdays, Qiqi studies at a primary school near Lanjiazhuang Village in Laoshan District, Qingdao City.
On Friday, June 16, 2023, after school, he was picked up to a sports club called Juying Wushu for the weekend, where he participated in training for the second time. The club's advertisement says that children will learn Changquan and Nanquan here, and the club also provides services such as boarding and tutoring.
At noon on June 18, Qiqi's mother received two videos from Shi Fang, the head of the martial arts club, who said that she was "disciplining" her children. In the video, Qiqi was placed on a chair by the coach, hanging his head, unable to sit steadily. The coach gave him a push on the head, and Qiqi lost her balance and rolled off her chair to the floor, motionless.
In another video, Qiqi slumped down on the ground, trying to stand up, but failed. He whispered, "Kicked me." Shi Fang's voice came from the video, she said, "Who kicked you? when?" and asked, "Did the coach kick him?
A child's voice replied, "I poured it myself." Shi Fang said with a laugh, "Fortunately, so many people have done this." ”
Zhai Chunguang also saw the video, he felt that the child's expression was wrong, Qiqi's lips were white around his lips, and his palms were a little black. He was a little worried, so he asked his wife to send a message to remind the other party that the child's face was wrong, and asked him to pay attention to the child's physical condition. The other party did not reply again.
More than 40 minutes later, Shi Fang called and said that the child "couldn't wake up".
At about 14 o'clock that day, Zhai Chunguang and his wife rushed to the Third People's Hospital of Chengyang District, Qingdao City, where Qiqi was being rescued. More than an hour later, at about 15 o'clock, the hospital announced the end of the rescue. Qiqi was not rescued.
In fact, Qiqi lost her vital signs before the rescue began. According to the medical records of the Third People's Hospital of Chengyang District, Qingdao City, on June 18, more than 20 minutes before Qiqi sought medical treatment, his breathing and heartbeat had stopped, bruises were visible on his right calf and left thigh, and the ends of his limbs were bruised.
Zhai Chunguang couldn't imagine the pain his son had suffered during his lifetime. He recalled that the child had extensive bruises on his legs, ankles, arms and other parts. Shi Fang and Zhang Xianbin, the coach of the martial arts club, were also present at the hospital, but the two did not explain or explain, and he and his wife were busy watching the children and did not have time to ask each other what happened.
In July 2023, Zhai Chunguang received Qi Qi's autopsy report, which stated that the cause of death was "extensive soft tissue contusion caused by multiple blows with a blunt object, resulting in traumatic shock and death from pulmonary fat embolism".
A martial arts club at the entrance of the village
Zhai Chunguang, 37 years old, has been a courier near Lanjiazhuang in Laoshan District, Qingdao City for four or five years, and will pass by the provincial highway at the entrance of the village every day.
In May 2023, a bright yellow two-story building on this provincial highway was hung with a signboard with white letters on a blue background: "Qingdao Zhenyu Juying Martial Arts Sports Club". Lanjiazhuang Village is about 25 kilometers away from Shibei District, the center of Qingdao, and it takes 40 minutes by car. For such a suburban village, it is rare for a martial arts club to open nearby.
The martial arts club is less than a kilometer from Zhai Chunguang's home, and staff distribute leaflets in a nearby village, and Zhai Chunguang also got a copy. The name of the club is printed on this enrollment flyer, saying that it is a legal private non-enterprise unit approved by the Qingdao Sports Bureau and registered by the Qingdao Civil Affairs Bureau, offering courses such as Changquan, Nanquan, Taiji, and Tengkong Special Grade, and recruiting students over the age of 5. At the top of the leaflet is written "Hone your will, strengthen your body, and be both civil and military", and on the back is a photo of the club's past activities, trophies, etc.
Zhai Chunguang remembered that when Zhang Xianbin and Shi Fang, the heads of the club, promoted the club to him, they claimed that during the Spring Festival, they could organize children to perform on the Spring Festival Gala. The other party said "out of the blue" and moved him. Another consideration for him is that in addition to teaching martial arts and sports, the martial arts club can also take care of children and help them with their homework. That year, Qiqi was in the third grade, and the couple could no longer afford to tutor English and other subjects.
So, after Qiqi took an experience class on the weekend of June 10, Zhai Chunguang and his wife paid 7,680 yuan to officially register for him. This is the club's training fee for one year, including weekends, winter and summer vacations, etc., and the custody room and board are calculated separately. For the Zhai family, this is a lot of money, almost a month's income for the family. Many parents in nearby villages were as curious as Zhai Chunguang and wanted to sign up, but in the end, only Qiqi became a student of the Laoshan branch of the Juying Martial Arts Club.
What Zhai Chunguang and his wife didn't know was that at that time, this seemingly formal club had not yet obtained business qualifications. According to public information, Juying Wushu Sports Club was registered and established in Shibei District in 2016, and in April 2023, it registered and established a campus in Chengyang District, with a business scope of carrying out the cultivation and technical training of martial arts sports talents, carrying out the display of martial arts sports competitions, and organizing and co-organizing relevant competitions and performances of martial arts sports. The legal representative of the former is Zhang Xianbin, and the legal representative of the latter is Shi Fang, but in May 2023, when the Laoshan branch of Juying Martial Arts Club began to enroll, it had not yet been officially registered at the Laoshan campus.
Later, the procuratorate found out that the actual owner of the Laoshan branch of the Juying Martial Arts Sports Club was Zhang Xianbin, and the club also had a coach Li Haiding, and Zhang Xianbin's son Zhang Jiahao also helped teach in the club.
Wu Li (not his real name) has been working in the Qingdao martial arts circle for about 15 years, is the head of a martial arts club, and met Li Haiding. Wu Li said that Li Haiding is the apprentice of Wu Xiumei, a well-known coach in the martial arts circle, and Wu Xiumei was the vice president of the Qingdao Wushu Association. Therefore, Li Haiding has the resources and connections in the Qingdao martial arts circle, and can help set up an institution. As far as Wu Li knows, Zhang Xianbin met Li Haiding when he went to the Wushu Association to do business, and in 2016, the two decided to open a martial arts training institution in Shibei District.
Wu Li said that the Juying Martial Arts Club was first opened in Shibei District, and later opened a second branch in Chengyang District. Before the incident, there were about 200 students at the Juying Martial Arts Club. He said that Juying's martial arts coach is strict and hands-on, and there have long been rumors in Qingdao martial arts circles, although his club will also discipline children, but only use a ring ruler to hit the palm.
Wu Li felt at the time, "(Juying Martial Arts Club) will have an accident sooner or later. ”
Zhai Mouqi was unable to support his body and lay on the ground. Screenshot of the video
The hearing lasted 5 hours
The Qingdao Municipal People's Procuratorate alleged that during the period when the defendant Zhang Xianbin was teaching in the club, because the victim Zhai Mouqi's training movements were not standardized, he and the defendants Li Haiding and Zhang Jiahao beat him on the buttocks and legs, and tied him up, and Zhai Mouqi was found unconscious and fainted, and was sent to the hospital for rescue, where he died after rescue. Defendants Zhang Xianbin, Li Haiding, and Zhang Jiahao intentionally inflicted bodily harm on others causing death, and shall be pursued for criminal responsibility for the crime of intentional injury.
On April 24, the Qingdao Intermediate People's Court held a trial of the case. Many relatives, friends, and neighbors of the Zhai family rushed to the scene and waited for the results outside the courtroom.
The trial lasted about five hours, and observers said that Zhai Chunguang's eyes were moist, but he still restrained his emotions and remained calm. When showing the autopsy photos, Zhai Chunguang avoided it for about 15 minutes.
At the trial, Zhai Chunguang saw the surveillance video of Qiqi being beaten for the first time, which is also the key evidence to determine the facts of this case.
He said that surveillance records showed that at about 9 o'clock on the 18th, Zhang Xianbin pressed Qiqi to the ground in the Laoshan District Club, beat him with his fists, kicked his buttocks and thighs, and then used a wire to whip him for about 20 minutes. At about 11 o'clock, Zhang Xianbin took Qiqi to the Chengyang District Club, and in the club's training ground, Li Haiding and Zhang Jiahao beat Qiqi with wooden sticks and fans respectively. At about 12:30, the three tied up Qi Qi in the cafeteria, dragged Qi Qi to the training ground, and tied Qi Qi to the leg press bar in a standing position with a practice belt.
Zhai Chunguang said that in addition to Qiqi, the sealed surveillance footage also recorded other children being tied up and beaten in similar ways. Witness testimony from two other parents showed that their children had been beaten at the Juying Martial Arts Club and that some of the children's injuries were assessed as minor.
During the trial, the procuratorate presented relevant evidence, the defendant and his defender conducted cross-examination, and the prosecution and defense fully expressed their opinions under the auspices of the court.
The Paper reporters interviewed a number of people who attended and observed the trial. They recalled that during the trial, Zhai Chunguang's side believed that the charges should be changed, and Shi Fang sent a video of Zhai Mouqi to his family for about 40 minutes during the period from Zhai Mouqi's being sent to the hospital, and the three should have realized that Zhai Mouqi's life was in danger, but they did not send him to the hospital in time, allowing his death to occur, and should be investigated for the crime of intentional homicide.
The defense lawyers of the three defendants all argued that the institution where the three men worked was an educational institution, and the purpose was to discipline and educate the children, and there was no subjective intent and no motive to kill.
Zhai Chunguang believes that Shi Fang, the legal representative of Juying Martial Arts Club, should be held criminally responsible, on the basis that Shi Fang had provided wires as a criminal tool, had participated in tying Qi Qi to the back of a chair, and was also responsible for the management of the martial arts club. Zhai Chunguang spoke at the trial and demanded that Shi Fang be held responsible. The public prosecution said that the determination of Shi Fang's relevant responsibility was not within the scope of this trial.
A number of people who attended and observed the trial recalled that the three defendants all pleaded guilty and repented, and were willing to bear civil compensation. Among them, Li Haiding's defense lawyer believes that considering that Li Haiding has voluntarily surrendered, is a first-time offender, and has a positive attitude in admitting guilt, he asked the court to give a lenient sentence.
At about 16 o'clock on the same day, the court announced an adjournment and the verdict will be announced at a later date.
Lives that have been changed
From the entrance of Lanjiazhuang Village, along a small road to Gaopo, a few gray houses are Zhai Chunguang's house. Before the incident, Zhai Chunguang's wife raised chickens around her home and sold local products to subsidize the family. Now, she doesn't have the heart to do these things anymore.
The period when it first happened was the hardest, and the wife "broke down". Zhai Chunguang said that his wife was diagnosed with depression in the hospital, and in order to accompany his wife, he did not take care of the courier work for three or four months.
To this day, it is still difficult for the wife to come out of the shadows and is afraid of human contact. She still doesn't dare to open Douyin, for fear of swiping Qiqi-related videos and touching the pain in her heart. This time, to prepare for the court session and receive visitors, several relatives and friends rushed to Zhai's house to help.
In order to show that he hoped that the court would "impose a severe and heavy punishment", Zhai Chunguang did not file a civil lawsuit attached to the criminal case, and he wanted to concentrate on waiting for the trial of the criminal part first. Today, Qiqi's body is still stored in the funeral home. Zhai Chunguang hopes that the case can be brought to an early conclusion and let his son settle in peace.
In the eyes of relatives, Qiqi is a lively, well-behaved boy who is "very sensible". His aunt said that when someone went to Zhai's house to find Qiqi's mother to buy eggs, when her mother was busy, Qiqi would sit obediently on the side and would not run around.
Over the past year, Zhai Chunguang has often thought about his son, especially in the evening when he passes by the Rainbow Bridge where Qiqi frequents to play, or when he sees students walking into school.
What still makes Zhai Chunguang regret is that on June 18, they did not insist on picking up the child. It was Father's Day, and Zhai Chunguang and his wife were originally going to take Qiqi home for the holiday. At about 10 o'clock that day, his wife went to the club to pick up the child once, but the coach told them that the child had not practiced well and would take him to the Chengyang branch of the martial arts club in the afternoon to practice.
Zhai Chunguang said that his wife saw Qiqi training through a large display on the first floor of the martial arts club, but she couldn't hear the sound or talk to her children, so she left. After seeing the surveillance video during the trial, Zhai Chunguang learned that the first time Qi Qi was beaten that day was around 9 o'clock.
"(Picking up the child) was already beating at that time. He said. Source: The Paper