Filial piety is the fundamental basis of Chinese morality, according to scholar Joseph S Wu. But taking care of an aging population is one of society’s most pressing issues. Pension reform is being widely discussed, and People’s Daily recently published a survey as to whether the retirement age should be extended. There is also a shortage of nursing homes, creating a dilemma for many families as to how to balance busy working lives with raising children, and continuing to support elderly family members.

One extreme example of how not to treat an elderly family member was seen in Shenzhen recently.

A 97 year-old woman accused her son of locking her in a small room, giving her no access to a shower, and feeding her only a steamed bun that was too hard for her to chew. The son admitted his wrongdoing to the police and promised to treat her better in the future, according to The Southern Metropolis Daily. The woman, Cai Xueying, also said her son, surnamed Xue, pointed at her and yelled: “You don’t know shit!” When she told him she would report him to a newspaper.

Cai tearfully told the newspaper that after coming out of a retirement home in Buji, Longgang District on June 8, she was kept in the room for 6 days. When a reporter from the newspaper brought her a bowl of porridge, she was so hungry that she finished it in seconds. Photographs show the woman’s living quarters to be very basic with just a bed, a table and a lamp.

In a phone interview, Xue explained that he was on a business trip in Guangxi Province. When told that his mother was hungry, Xue said, “It’s natural to be hungry. If she’s hungry then give her something to eat,” before hanging up the phone, according to the newspaper. Xue has refused to speak to the media since.

A lawyer surnamed Huang said Xue’s behaviour amounted to maltreatment, but there is little legislation to deal with the neglectful treatment of the elderly.

Cai was born shortly after the collapse of the Qing Dynasty. She had 10 children, 5 of whom survived infancy, according to the newspaper. But for various reasons, her other children are unable to take care of her.

The story has become popular on the Internet. One Sina Weibo user said she should have disposed of him at birth. Another said the man should be punished for not appreciating how lucky he is to have a mother who lived so long.