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On Jan. 22, a man in China attempted suicide as he felt disappointed that his 30-year-old son has not married and settled down.
In what was an utterly bizarre act, the father was seen on surveillance footage handing his suicide note to the police officers on duty at the Shanghai Train Station's South Square in the Jing'An district, before falling unconscious on the spot.
He had reportedly consumed pesticide.
The police called for a first-aid ambulance, which then brought the man to a hospital for emergency treatment.
Found son unmarried
According to Sina, the man had arrived in Shanghai to visit his son who is working there.
However, the father was disappointed that his son had not married when he was close to 30 years old and had not settled down with a family of his own.
Presently, the man's life is no longer in danger and he remains at the hospital for further treatment.
Son unable to make money
Some netizens have pointed out that the suicide note shared by KNews included the following lines:
"You've not been able to make money in Shanghai, and even had to use my and your mother's tens of thousands of RMB (RMB10,000 is worth about S$2,127.31) to allow you to look for a girlfriend and you haven't found one."
"The people in the village who are the same age as me already have lots of children and grandchildren. It's embarrassing for me to continue living on, you're already a 29-year-old adult who has not achieved any success... Your grandmother is turning 90 this year."
Netizens suggested that perhaps the father was exasperated not just by his son's bachelorhood but lack of success in Shanghai and reliance on his parents to finance his search for a girlfriend.
Helplines
If you or someone you know are in mental distress, here are some hotlines you can call to seek help, advice, or just a listening ear:
SOS 24-hour Hotline: 1-767
Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019
Institute of Mental Health: 6389-2222 (24 hours)
Tinkle Friend: 1800-274-4788 (for primary school-aged children)
Top images via Sina.