On November 20, 2024, a Chinese teacher named Ms. Liang Yuxia violently injured a nine-year-old Mongolian girl in Uushin Banner of the Ordos region in Southern Mongolia (also known as “Inner Mongolia”). According to sources, Ms. Liang struck the student repeatedly for failing to complete her homework on time, ultimately causing significant damage to the girl’s ear. In response to the incident, outraged parents have boycotted the school, refusing to send their children back until further action is taken.
“My name is Hastsetseg, and I am aware of this incident,” a Mongolian parent from Uushin Banner told the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center (SMHRIC) over the phone. “The girl’s name is Hairaa. She is in second grade in the same class as my son at the Uushin Banner Experimental Elementary School. Ms. Liang Yuxia, a Chinese teacher recently hired by the school, has shown open hostility and abuse toward Mongolian children.”
“Hairaa is currently hospitalized after being violently beaten by the teacher, which caused a severe rupture to her ear,” Ms. Hastsetseg continued. “She also suffered serious bleeding from her mouth.”
Photos and video footage shared with the SMHRIC show the extent of the injury, with the girl’s right ear requiring several stitches to treat the rupture. According to Ms. Hastsetseg, Hairaa is not the only victim of Ms. Liang’s abuse.
“Many of the Mongolian students in Hairaa’s class have been subjected to mistreatment by Ms. Liang,” Hastsetseg explained. “The children are often threatened with further punishment if they tell their parents what has happened. This is not an isolated case; it is sadly a regular occurrence for Chinese teachers to abuse Mongolian students, particularly those who struggle academically.”
The abuse comes amidst a broader context of educational policies imposed by China since 2020, aimed at eradicating the Mongolian language from schools across Southern Mongolia. Despite widespread protests in the region, the Chinese government has pressed forward with efforts to replace Mongolian with Chinese as the language of instruction. Since September 2023, all subjects in Mongolian schools, including the Uushin Banner Experimental Elementary School, have been taught exclusively in Chinese, and Mongolian is now only offered as a second language — a promise that has largely gone unfulfilled.
“Many Chinese teachers have been hired because all subjects are now taught in Chinese,” Ms. Hastsetseg told the SMHRIC. “Mongolian is supposed to be offered as a second language, but that is rarely implemented.”
The incident quickly gained attention on Chinese social media platforms, particularly WeChat, where it sparked outrage among Southern Mongolians. Many parents expressed their deep concerns over the escalating abuse and the broader cultural implications of China’s education policies.
“Now, the authorities are forcing our children to learn in Chinese,” one parent wrote in a WeChat discussion group. “Those of our children who cannot read or speak Chinese are now being abused. This is truly a living hell for us Southern Mongolians. We must stand together in solidarity to protect our children and our culture.”
Another participant in the same WeChat group shared similar sentiments: “Since 2020, I have sensed that this will be a national calamity for us Southern Mongolians. Our language education is being replaced by Chinese, which represents Chinese chauvinism and supremacy. Chinese education teaches children to hate, not to respect others.”
For Southern Mongolians, the Mongolian language has long been considered the last bastion of their national identity. Despite decades of policies designed to undermine Mongolian culture, the language has survived many waves of suppression. However, many fear that the current push by the Chinese government to replace Mongolian with Chinese marks a final attempt at cultural eradication — a “cultural genocide” that threatens to erase the Mongolian language, culture, and identity from Southern Mongolia once and for all.
