Chinese man, 46, caged in tiny stone cell for 30 YEARS by his parents because he showed signs of mental health problems as a teen in 1983
- - Dong Hai has been caged inside stone shelter in China's Fujian province
- - Five square metre space has been his home since the age of sixteen
- - His parents use a gap in the stone wall to pass through cans of food
- - They spray water into the cage to clean their son who has no physical contact
- - Hai hasn't set foot outside the cage in thirty years
By SARA SMYTH
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A man who displayed signs of mental health problems as a teenager has been locked up by his parents for 30 years.
Dong Hai,46, was caged in a five square metre stone shelter in his parent's back yard when they grew frightened that he could hurt someone.
Dong Watou and his wife Xiao Hong from Longhai, southeast China's Fujian Province said they had appealed to hospitals for help when their only son grew distressed and they feared for his mental health.
Caged: Xiao Hong uses a hole in the stone wall to wash her son Dong Hai inside the stone cage with a cloth
Trapped: Dong Hai crouches in the darkened corner of his stone cell, where his parents keep him locked away from the world
Desperation: The Chinese couple looked for help and tried to get their son treatment when he displayed symptoms of mental health problems, but they were turned away by local hospitals
They visited hospitals in the province but were turned away. The couple spent all their savings on medical treatment in a year and had to stop their son's treatment.
As time goes on the couple, who are now nearly 70 years old, say their greatest fear is what will happen to Hai when they die.
The couple's house is no different from others in the village, except the stone shelter in the yard.
Hai hasn't stepped outside the bare hut for the past 30 years
Food is passed to him through a hole in the wall and each day Hai's father uses a scoop, which is tied on top of a long bamboo pole, to shovel out excrement.
Inhumane: Dong Waitou peeks through a hole in the stone wall to check on his son, who has not left the stone hut in 30 years
Distant: Food is served in a tin can and passed through the hole in the wall. Hai receives no physical contact despite living just yards from his elderly parents
Watchful: Hai's parents stare at him through bars, but do not touch him. They say their greatest fear is what will happen to their son once they die
Hai's mother then squirts water inside to clean the ground and her son.
Several years ago, the land in the village has been taken away by the government for real estate development, and the old couple lost their only income source.
Now they are doing odd jobs in maintaining the life.
Last year Dong Waitou worked as a watchman in a village construction lot, and was beaten by a drunk driver. Now his right leg still has a long scar and he can't do heavy jobs.
Held back: Dong Watou was beaten up by a drunk driver, who left him with nasty scars (right) He now struggles to work and his family find it hard to make ends meet
Drastic: the couple say deciding to cage their son was the hardest choice they've ever made
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