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03. 03. 10. - 16:00

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03. 03. 10. - 16:00

Locky chains boy starts school

The little tot who broke hearts around the world when he was snapped chained to a post while his desperate parents searched for work has had his first day at school.

Bewildered Cheng Jindan, aged just two, used to spend his days in chains while his dad worked as a rickshaw driver and his handicapped mum scavenged for rubbish.

But now Jindan has become a model pupil at a local nursery in the Chinese capital Beijing thanks to the generosity of headmaster Song Ting.

"He needed a good wash and some treatment for nappy rash and then we got him some new clothes. But he's happy, and well fed and is a very bright boy.

"He's a quick learner and will do well," said one nursery teacher at the Jingmiao Migrant Workers' School on his first day on Monday (march 1).

"We've waived the fees and he has a special teacher working one-on-one with him until he gets used to being in a class," she added.

Proud dad Cheng Chuanliu said: "I am so happy that Jindan can go to school."

Shocking pictures of Jindan padlocked to a lamppost horrified people around the world last month.

The youngster was locked up in the street to keep him safe after his older sister Jinhong was snatched by kidnappers while playing with friends.

Child abduction is rife in China where the victims frequently end up in forced labour or the vice industry.

But now Jindan's family is facing a new struggle.

On the day he started school his handicapped mother gave birth to another son.

"I don't know what we're going to do now but somehow we will cope for our boys," said dad Chuanliu.

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