December 6, 2005
Fudan University kitten torturer may get off unpunished
Shanghaiist is in a fury. No, not because of the freezing weather, but because of a recent thread in a pet website we frequent.
It seems that a sick, twisted Fudan University student adopted and tortured more than 20 kittens since September, according to an online bulletin board (in Chinese). The student, who went by the online monicker "YuhZLL," had been trolling the animal section of the Fudan University BBS looking for kittens to adopt. YuhZLL -- real name Zhang Liangliang -- eventually, somehow, managed to adopt more than 20 kittens from university animal rescuers, mostly small kittens aged 3-4 months old. He later claimed that he freed these kittens from captivity (fang sheng or 放生 ).
Realizing that the same person had been adopting all of these kittens, students became suspicious. On November 29, three students from animal section visited Zhang's dorm room and discovered an eight-month old white cat (pictured) -- minus one eye -- bleeding in a cage. They immediately suspected the worst for the other cats, which were nowhere to be found. Zhang threatened to report the students to school officials -- having pets on campus is against the rules. Zhang said he would take the cat to the vet, but later, allegedly, dumped it somehwere.
Once the thread was released, Zhang was immediately condemned by furious cat lovers online. Major pet websites including petsky.com.cn, mypethome.chinapet.com and luckycats.com have at least 20 threads regarding this topic. At the beginning, Zhang tried to defend himself (thread in Chinese). But by December 1, Zhang was unable to handle all the critics and pressure from the internet, and he confessed at a "cartoon bar" -- yes, just as it sounds, a cartoon-themed bar -- to an audience that included several of his classmates, his girlfriend and his mother that he set these domesticated cats "free," only after torturing them, of course. Here are some quotes from his words:
“皮皮的话是我觉得我唯一正常对待的小猫了... 皮皮我也打得很厉害...我也是把他打得奄奄一息然后再放在草丛里面...我不确定他能够活多久但他那个时候已经大小便失禁了.""Pipi is the only kitten that I treated in a normal way. I beat him very hard, too. I beat him until he has the last gasp. I wasn’t sure how long he will survive when I dumped him in the grass, he was incontinent already."
If all of this isn't repulsive enough, it seems like Zhang will get away unpunished. There are no animal cruelty laws in China and Fudan University appears more interested in saving face than dealing with an obviously severely disturbed young man -- school officials have deleted all threads regarding Zhang from the Fudan BBS and Zhang's university tutor suggested he simply spend more time on his studies. Fudan is also sweeping the dorms for cats, no doubt dumping any they find back on the streets.
Shanghaiist is a cat lover and the thought of physical abuse to cats is just unbearable. Hopefully this story gets proper play in the mainstream media, and Zhang can be properly punished. We have learned Sina.com, Shanghai Morning Post, Phoenix TV and Shenzhen News have reported on this. Maybe all this attention can finally lead this country to adopting some kind of law forbidding animal cruelty.
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What repulsive and disturbing behaviour -- and not just on its own. Who can quote me the statistics on the number of serial killers who started out on animals?
Somebody find out the details of this guy and where he lives. Seriously.
You can find more details of this POS from this blog: http://ht251.blogspot.com/2005/12/fudan-scissorhands.html
Zat, I dont know what make you believe that having any sort of law will punish or most importantly prevent this sort of event from happening. I think this behaviour is rather on the pathological side and hence pretty much unsolvable by common means of punishment. Further to that, having this "legislation" effectively enforced would be not the smallest task. I know, I know, it is easier to blame "the government" and all that (and that also probably makes one seem cool), instead of thinking and reaching the undeniable conclusion that what drives sadism is hate and what creates hate is merely being (in most cases).
These guys behaviour has NOTHING to do with China or laws or lack of laws or barbarism.
It has everything to do with his pure frustration of being himself, and chosing someone WEAKER than him to relieve the pressure, which just reinforces that he is really on the bottom of the food chain.
You can't prevent people from hating. And you can only punish them at the expense of generating even more hate, which is not necessarily bad, but definitely recyclable in undesired ways.
I would still like to have half an hour in a room with this guy tho. Oh yes.
Jesus. My girlfriend and I have five cats and this is the single most disturbing this I have read all month. I hope he is hounded and shamed and that his helps the government pass the most basic animal cruelty laws. One of the major reasons why animal cruelty laws are necessary is because violent psychotic abusers will start abusing and killing animals before they start to kill people. Jeffrey Dahmer ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Dahmer ) started killing animals before moving to children.
Does anyone else find that picture mildly suspicious? Not to deny the possibility that this a true story, but is there anything beyond unaccountable photographs, dubious internet "research" and forum chatter to support that this actually happened?
LAT:
Plus the quote from his advisor, and the fact that college students interacting on BBSs is just about one of the most normal things in China.
Micah. I also read the post, but thanks for highlighting your supporting line. You are also correct in pointing out that BBS interaction in China is "normal". I am still not convinced that evidence has been offered to prove definitively that this person even exists, much less committed these offenses.
I took a read through the Sina.com article as well, and the reporter only cites secondary sources collected through Internet "research". There is certainly the possibility that I misread the Chinese.
Again, I am only curious because I am often doubtful of reports on the Internet, and find that people are all too willing to believe a shocking photograph and some sensational report. This particular story might be entirely factual--I am asking for someone to demonstrate that more convincingly. Can someone with better Chinese than me please illuminate us?
There are not descriptions vile enough for what that disgusting man should be subjected to.
I hope someone makes him disappear in the slowest, most painful possible way.
This does sound a lot like an urban rumor. The vivd decriptions of numbers of cats, the details about the tortue. It sounds like there's to much evidence to be true.
Although I'm not sure. It certainly strirs up a lot of emotions.
Lat, further to my post, Sina.com started a special column today,which publicized an individual interview with the school management. Zhu Gehui, director of news centre of Fudan has confirmed all the reports are true. Also, if you go to petsky.com.cn there are 5 long threads regarding this matter at different aspects, including Zhang's conversation with cat lovers and his schoolmates.I hope your comprehension of Chinese reading is good enough to see the holes in his self-defence.
hc, I don't know where you got the idea that I wrote in the post this guy's behaviour has anything to do with China lack of laws. I agree he had frustration in real life that he had to vent it out on weaker creatures, such as kittens.
What I am trying to say is because of lack of animal protection laws and the strange mindset of the school management, this sick bastard will easily get away, instead, ironically, cat rescuers in Fudan had to dump the kittens to where they found them as a result of the whole incident.
Keep me posted with your wish to have half an hour in a room with this guy.
Nick, you know where to reach me if you want the details of this guy.
Zat,
Thanks for the additional information. In this age when it's so easy to fabricate a sensational piece of news and let overexcited people get carried away, it's important to report responsibly. Sadly, I never doubted the potential for this story to be true--but I did question the initial reporting, and I hope you understand why.
Particularly in China, blogs and BBS' offer an important medium through which whistleblowers can make themselves heard; however the unaccountability and anonymity offered by the Internet is a double-edged sword: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/04/weekinreview/04seelye.html
Tangentially, it is astounding to me how someone could get away with something like this in such a crowded living environment as a Chinese university dorm! As with Dahmer, who committed his crimes in a residential neighborhood for some time without raising suspicion, it is hard to imagine how this slipped through the cracks.
LAT:
The story was in Shanghai Daily today.
Also, I should say that the article stated that he was being given psychological treatment.
The 'psychological treatment' was provided by professors in the Psychology Department of Fudan University. I can tell you NOT SINGLE ONE OF THEM had received any formal training in psychiatry. I am very suspicious on the intention of the school administrators. ^-^
Nick,
As per my question, can you please point out the information source that establishes confidence? I didn't get a chance to pick up a copy of the Shanghai Daily.
I see no reason why I should trust an article simply because it's from the Shanghai Daily, or from any periodical, if, as in the case of the Sina.com article, they are only rehashing the online postings of a single person remarked upon by any number of people.
Zat provided good additional sources. Yours might be too, but we can't yet judge that.
Here it is:
Fudan seeks help for animal abuser
Staff Reporter
2005-12-07 Beijing Time
TEACHERS at Fudan University are seeking psychological treatment for a postgraduate student who is accused of adopting and maltreating more than 30 stray cats over the past six months.
Several animal protection clubs and organizations in the city are also sending letters to foreign universities and consulates, telling them not to admit or issue a visa to Zhang Liangliang, the suspected cat killer, as he is planning to study overseas.
"We don't want to ruin this student," said a Fudan spokesman who refuse to identify himself. "The accusation was proved to be basically true, but what we want is to help him deal with his psychological problems and huge social pressure to start a new life."
Animal protection organizations said that Zhang, a third-year postgraduate student in Fudan's math department, adopted more than 30 stray cats from an animal protection club that advertises on the campus chat room.
Students gradually noticed that lots of cats were adopted by the same person. People who visited Zhang's dorm said he never had more than two cats living in his room at one time.
"We were quite suspicious about what happened to the cats he adopted, and requested to have a look at the little animals," said Wang Binbin, Webmaster of the online animal protection club.
On September 29, four students went to Zhang's dorm, but there weren't any cats in his room. Zhang said he gave some of the cats away and released the others, as his father didn't want him to raise animals.
Prompted by angry schoolmates, Zhang also issued a statement online in October, promising that he wouldn't adopt any more cats as he was too busy preparing applications to foreign universities.
About a month later, however, a Fudan student saw Zhang hurrying back to his dorm, with a caged cat crying loudly in his hand. The student and his friends rushed to Zhang's dorm to see what was going on. They found a white kitten in his living room bleeding from its right eye.
"I confess that I used to let out my frustrations by beating cats and deserting them afterwards," Zhang wrote in an online statement. He said the bleeding cat was injured by mistake, not deliberately.
Zhang was not available for comment yesterday. Classmates say he has moved back in with his family.
You can call the following number to verify the story. In China, calling the Danwei (unit) works better than calling the police or D.A. Fudan switchboard operators speak English.
Department of Mathematics:
Communism Party Secretary: +86-21-65642340
Chairperson: +86-21-65642342, +86-21-65642344
Fudan University:
Communism Party Committee: +86-21-65642205
President: +86-21-65642240, +86-21-65642644
Propaganda Director: +86-21-65642610
Dean of Graduate School: +86-21-65643306
Provost: +86-21-65642273
Switchboard: +86-21-65642222, +86-21-65643333
"Yours might be too, but we can't yet judge that"
Damn. Another day cutting my legs and crying softly.
Nick,
Are you ever going to actually address a question asked of you in these commentary sections? Are you really so satisfied with your childish "last words"? I've noticed you making similar statements on several comments threads.
Thanks for the report. Please let more people know this issue. This cat turtorer deserves punishment. He may get off unpunished but if more people condemn what he has done to those innocent lives, he would learn something from it.
It is true, not a story. Read this thread in other chinese BBSs with testimony of witnesses and pictures.
http://www12.tianya.cn/publicforum/Content/funinfo/1/120400.shtml
"We don't want to ruin this student," said a Fudan spokesman who refuse to identify himself. "The accusation was proved to be basically true, but what we want is to help him deal with his psychological problems and huge social pressure to start a new life."
--that's halirious. No body wants to ruin his life. This guy ruined his own life.
This guy really needs to be watched by the Police. If he's able to do such a thing so often, who knows what else he would do?
When I first came across this story, I was utterly horrified by what this guy had done. The fact that a person can be so disturbed as to do such a horrible thing sickens me.
At the least, I hope he never attends a University again.
One fact I forgot to mention is the cat rescuers in Fudan actually found out what he had done at the beginning of October. Zhang promised he will never have any kittens. However, he actually purchased kittens from pet market instead to vent his frustration. He got the chance to change his life and make up his mistakes but he let it go easily. Now his parents asked why the public couldn't show any mercy to their son? Does this sick, twisted, vile scum deserve any mercy?
The guy needs to be taken out to the woodshed and beaten to death with an axe.
Apologies Steven. It is a fault of mine that I have no patience with people who take themselves at all seriously.
But I am endeavouring to change and stick to the good advice of "patience is a virtue".
I do not how to let the University which he was applied for know this
I do not how to let the University which he was applied for know this
Nick, If you're so above it, why comment at all? Clearly you have enough patience to make a comment... why not take that opportunity to address what is asked of you? You still haven't answered anything. And you may not be taking things seriously, but you still haven't been funny either.
Should we expect better of Shanghaiist contributors? Apparently not, Nick. Attempts at self-improvement considered.
For god's sake Liam, if I say I saw a story in Shanghai Daily and then someone says
"we cannot be sure if your sources are valid"
Then I'm only going to respond with something banal and childish. Nothing was "asked of me", somebody with nothing better to do was raising the question of "my sources" only when I said I saw the article in Shanghai Daily.
I am not above it. I just can't resist making an equally idiotic comment.
As I said, self-improvement under-way.
Nick, Considering the issue raised was of the reliability of sources, I don't think you answered the question. The original basis of this post was an online forum that was insufficient as a single source. It has since been verified by proper reporting.
I don't see what is childish or idiotic about a comment thread that discusses the issues of responsible reporting in the Internet Age. I found it interesting enough to read and follow.
The comments thread/discussion isn't childish or idiotic.
LAT saying he can't verify "my" sources when all I said is that it's in Shanghai Daily (therefore of some reliability as existing) is ridiculous.
Anyway, you are welcome to your opinion of me. Maybe we should discuss this over a good pizza. Or even better, discuss something else over a good pizza.
Nick,
I apologize if I came off in a way I didn't intend. Again, the issue I raised was of the reliability of sources. Your offering of the Shanghai Daily was not enough information, in my opinion. Since I did not, at the time, have access to it, I was hopeful that someone could, as Dan did, provide it so we could see for ourselves. Zat's original post also cited sources of equal merit as the Shanghai Daily, but all of which only cited a very unreliable source. I was simply trying to encourage healthy skepticism, and did not intend to insult your intelligence.
A warm pizza sounds great right about now.
Persecution complexes make for hilarious reading!
And a hearty cheers to that, LAT.
LAT, the modern journalism works in the old way that they do the investigative, composing and editorial work, and you believe it. That's why they were trained in the journalism school of all the protocols and ethics they need to follow, and also why you see the same 'trustworthy' faces in the evening news for 30 years. A reporter tells you what he knows, and how does he get the story. It's up to you to believe it or not. And you don't judge on their source, but you judge on their story and themselves as an integral entity.
The issue you raised on Wiki has nothing to do with the fidelity of this story, or any online stories in general. There little difference between online articles and traditional media in terms of how much should you believe in what you read. With all peer examination and editor scrutiny, Judith Miller of NYT was still able to fabricate all of her WMD coverages.
As to this story, you have testimonies from dozens of people who had been personally involved, and interviews from all of China's mainstream media, the Xinhua, People's Daily, China Daily and CRI. You also have official response from the Fudan University. You have the pictures of the cats who were wronged, and those who managed to escape. You have the personal info of the psycho himself and his parents, plus his sister and gf. You even have the printed confess from the psycho killer, not one, but all three different versions of them in chronicle order. If you still question whether it's just another Internet hoax, I have no clue as what you are after, where are you standing.
Big Brother,
Clearly you haven't read these comments in order. I agreed some time ago that this story has been supported be sufficient reporting. Check my comment from December 7th, 1:41pm. I only questioned based on the initial post, which alone didn't have enough sources.
I also agree with you that 'traditional' media is in no way immune to fabrications or otherwise sloppy, incomplete research. I read a New York Times article with the same skepticism I read the Shanghai Daily. Admittedly, however, I am much more inclined toward skepticism for online sources.
And if you see no relationship between the issues raised by the Wikipedia article and my questioning of this story, I urge you to consider it further.
the thing that I cannot seem to find an answer to is
a) why didn't another student who saw the cat in such a terrible condition when he went into his room,take the cat away from him immediately?
b) what did eventually happen to that poor kitten, does anybody know, please post something if you know
Thanks
Lena,I don't know why those students didn't take away the cat, rumours say they were threatened by Zhang, who claimed that he will report to the school management that they keep cats at dorm. Others say they believed Zhang's words that he hurt the cat by mistake and will take it to hospital.
I don't know what happened to the cat, a lot of people asked where it is about, but looks like Zhang is the only person knows. Sigh...
thanks for posting re: the whereabouts of bleeding cat, maybe the least Zhang could do is to tell other concerned people where the cat is or where he dumped it maybe he should be put under even more pressure and finally give a more definite answer!
THIS IS TRULY SAD. I PRAY THE KITTY FINDS A GOOD AND LOVING HOME WERE HE CAN BE CUDDLED AND PETTED AND PURR ALL DAY. DOES SCAA HAVE HIM? HE'S SO PRETTY. ALL I CAN SAY IS WHAT COMES AROUND GOES AROUND AND HE WILL SUFFER FOR HIS BAD DEEDS. HE WILL BE WATCHED.
MARY
Some Fudan Students told me parts of the story
including the picture was not ture.
That guy (Zhang) was rude to the cat lovers because they broke into zhang's dorm for several times, which was illegal in China. I thought
Zhang's attitude to them caused their rage and abuse of Zhang's Behavior.
I can not imagine why a talented and hard-working Grad-student who donated for the poor children could harm animals.
I also do not know why those who feed cats could
be so cruel to people around them.
I can't believe there are people like Zach jumped out like a jack-in-the-box to defend such a scum like Zhang.
Ok, let me ask you a few questions, Zach.
1. Can you tell me who told you the story? Because I also have my source.
2. Why do you think those people who broke into Zhang's dorm didn't get arrested according to your version of the story?
3. Are you aware of the fact Zhang actually adimitted what he did in interviews of a local tv station and cctv?
4. That being said, what makes you think he is a victim that he would admit something he didnt do?
Please give me more evidence to prove he is innocent.
Thanks.
I was watching the reaction of both's sides
during this month.
Of course I can not tell you the names of the Fudan Students unless you identify yourself to me.
Also I do know that it's a crime to release someone's private imformation on the internet and newspaper unless he broke the law.
As far as I know those cat lovers who abused zhang on internet faked some stories and used the hatred of common chinese people towards rich families to "punish" Zhang's rudeness and contemporary to them. I asked some people on the street about the matter and they replied: How could he do this just because he's rich? Nowadays rich people can do anything they want,
they should be punished.
the cat lovers felt humiliated when zhang shouted to them and said to them that they should not broke into his dorm times and times again.
In fact, You do not know the true author of the articles on interlet, you know the cat lover's evidence can not be taken as true evidence because they are those who want zhang to be punished.
I was shocked to hear that whole story on the newspaper and I got angry with zhang's behaviour as described by some journalists, but I also doubted many of the details including the picture. some of the evidence and reseaoning did not make sense.
I do not mean to defend zhang, Zat.
I just feel that people treated him as a murderer
and a people who suffer from mental disorder.
It's unfair. Most of the people do not know the truth, incuding you and me.
I think he just concerned too much about himself and his career. I feel that this guy should be in the army if the newspaper's comment on him is true: talented, a person of strict dicipline, a warm hearted donator but a person who is lacking in pity of animals.
It's a bad idea to use the immoral ways such as destroying his future to punish his "bad behaviour" , if it does exists. You will awake his hatred to the society.
I have a strong feeling that the pic of the bleeding cat is faked.
And I also know that you are a chinese.
Chinese government teaches them to hate rather than to love, To hate Japanese, To hater Americans, to Hate.....
And they are good at punishing but they are not good at forgiving,,, hehe
Maybe they should try to believe in god.
zach, you are just one twisted racist who should get a slap in the face for being sympathetic with Zhang. You trusted what's be said about him in the newspaper,but accusing the information I provided here was faulse. blahblah...
You said those cat lovers fake story to ruin Zhang's future and all that. Yet you have nothing to support your conclusion but plain assumption.
You had a feeling that was a fake picture yet you can't prove it.
You got zero evidence to prove your points.
All that being said, please reply to my question directly why Zhang admitted he did everything as it's hypothetic to you that he was innocent?
zach, we are talking abt cat now, if u wanna talk abt government and god, shall we open another topic but not here?
Hey Zat
What did Zhang admit? What did he do with those
cats? How did you know that his article was not
edited by others? Why there are little difference
about the story? Because the apparently faked stories were deleted at the first time.
close your eyes and please imagine something.
you did something wrong, and you are confronted with someone who feels humiliated by you and want to revenge. and they know the people's reaction and their imagination about the whole facts when they saw the description about a small part of the details about the whole matter.
and you know that people will have something in mind and will not changed until you admit that what you did is the same as what they think?
but you know you have to say something to calm
them down. what will you do when you tell them
the truth but they still say that you are lying?
Was the fact as bloody as what you thought in your mind which was ruined by some americal movies?
Do you actually know that as reported by main stream media that he spent thousands of RMB on those cats?
He still had some record about it. And He bought
cat's food and sand with credit cards.
I am wondering if you have those some called
proof, what on earth do you have to support the proof?
You are in fury because you were told a story
You read the words on internet and you know that
sometimes the intended description about a fact
may have dreadful impact on you.
You are a girl so you will never forgive this
cuz chinese people think of girl as cats. they need tenderly care and deep love.
But you never have chance to know What zhang is like in his real life, you never know how many poor child received his donation. You never know
...
You are angry with a imaginary person which was
abused by millions of people who are same as you
on internet.
That's ALL