Zhu Jiahu in an iron cage. Photo by Wang Guozhu
Twenty-five years ago, You Ying, a young woman from Suyang in Suqian, met Zhu Jiahu, a man from Taizhou, in Nanjing. Despite her family's objections, she married him and moved to Taizhou. However, in a car accident in 1997, Zhu Jiahu suffered a head injury which later turned him into a violent madman who would hurt others indiscriminately. You Ying took her husband, who had "become another person," to see doctors everywhere but without success. To prevent him from hurting others, she reluctantly tricked her husband into an iron cage and locked him up there for six years! Yesterday, facing the visiting journalists, You Ying cried uncontrollably.
Her husband was locked in the cage, next to a chicken coop.
You Ying, now 47 years old, lives in Chuya Village, Yexu Town, Taizhou Development Zone. Her son has already started his own family. The iron cage where her husband is confined is located in the backyard of their home. Yesterday afternoon, accompanied by You Ying and her neighbors, the reporter saw that next to the iron cage was a chicken coop. Connected to the iron cage was a small bungalow, inside which there was a bed, a squat toilet in the corner of the wall for excretion, and running water. The reporter saw a man standing in the iron cage. The man had fair skin, a robust body, and at first glance seemed no different from a normal person. When he saw his neighbor, the man even greeted them and started talking.
You Ying told the reporter that the man was her husband, Zhu Jiahu. He could have normal conversations for about three sentences, but starting from the fourth sentence, he would start talking nonsense. Sure enough, after exchanging pleasantries with the neighbor, Zhu Jiahu began to complain loudly. With the neighbor's help, the reporter learned that Zhu Jiahu was complaining about how all the units in Yexu were once his alone many years ago, but now no one recognized it, making him very angry. As he got more excited, Zhu Jiahu raised his voice and gestured wildly. It appeared that he had accepted the fact that he was confined in the cage. Despite his excitement, he showed no intention of rushing out.
After the car accident, her husband often hit people randomly.
Twenty-five years ago, You Ying worked on a construction site in Dachang, Nanjing. At that time, Zhu Jiahu was a mason on this construction site. Since their families were hundreds of kilometers apart, her family initially did not agree with their relationship, but she still resolutely married Zhu Jiahu and moved to Yexu in Taizhou. After marriage, they loved each other deeply and soon had a son.
However, everything was shattered by an unexpected car accident. One day in the second half of 1997, Zhu Jiahu was knocked down by a motorcycle on his way home. At that time, he had a lump on his head, but he didn't feel particularly painful, so he only received simple bandaging at the hospital. Soon afterward, he began to complain of headaches, often talking in his sleep at night, shouting "Someone hit me with a car." Her husband seemed like he had become another person, often talking to himself, and started hitting people in 1999.
Neighbor Old Zhu told the reporter that before being confined, Zhu Jiahu would frequently "go crazy," either using a shovel to forcefully break into his neighbors' doors or chasing after them to attack. Officers from the Yexu Police Station recalled that they had received multiple reports about Zhu Jiahu causing trouble. Several times, Zhu Jiahu, armed with a sharp knife, rushed into public places such as the local Agricultural Bank and post office, demanding money from the staff, claiming that these institutions all belonged to him. You Ying said that during those times, she had been hit by her husband countless times for no reason. One year before the Spring Festival, while she was steaming buns in the kitchen, her husband suddenly pushed her hard from behind, causing her face to bleed profusely; another time, her husband "didn't recognize" her, questioning her, "Who are you? Why are you in my house?" while pulling her hair and dragging her out forcefully, then choking her neck until she couldn't breathe. She was eventually rescued with the help of her family.
Diagnosed with schizophrenia, spending over 80,000 yuan still didn't cure him.
Seeing that her husband's condition was severe, You Ying sent him to Yangzhou Wutai Mountain Hospital and Taizhou Fourth People's Hospital for treatment. The hospitals diagnosed him with schizophrenia, and they spent over 80,000 yuan, but none of the treatments were effective. Due to their financial difficulties, the local government provided assistance. With her husband's illness unable to be cured, continuing medical expenses became a bottomless pit, and he would return home and hurt people. In despair, You Ying decided to "control" him. She secretly asked someone to build a bungalow in the backyard and welded an iron cage in front of the bungalow. On April 30, 2004, she tricked her husband into entering the bungalow under the pretext of taking a shower, then locked him inside. This lock lasted for six years. You Ying said that three meals a day, she handed food to her husband through a small window; she would coax him to hand over his dirty clothes so she could wash them; her husband used the squat toilet inside the bungalow for his needs, and afterward, she would "coax him" to rinse clean with tap water.
"I had no choice. Who would willingly lock their loved ones in a cage if they had other options?" During the interview, You Ying cried uncontrollably several times, caught between a rock and a hard place. She mentioned that some villagers questioned her actions, which troubled her greatly, but now many people gradually understood her situation.
Communicator: Ji Hairong
Reported by: Wang Guozhu