China stepmother arrested over beating death of schoolboy

XINING, April 21 (Xinhua) -- A housewife in northwest China's Qinghai
Province was arrested Sunday for the beating death of her eight-year-old
stepson, police said Tuesday.

Cai Wenzhen, 37, admitted hitting the boy with a rolling pin for 40 minutes
Sunday evening because she was not happy with his schoolwork, said Wang Dong, a
police officer with Xining Public Security Bureau.

The boy, Qi Haomin, was a second grader at Konglong Road Primary School in
Xining, said Wang.

"She said it happened at 8 p.m., and the child was dead on his bed when we
received reports three hours later," said Wang.

He said police are still investigating the case.

Cai married Qi's widowed father last year. Their next-door neighbor told
Xinhua Tuesday that Cai used to abuse the child.

"Last Friday, she left him standing outside for four hours," said the woman
surnamed Zhao. "It wouldn't have ended there had I not found out in time and
stopped her."

Zhao said the boy was lively and talkative when his mother was alive.
"After his stepmom came, he became much quieter than before."

The boy's father, Qi Zhicai, worked in the rural Guinan County, about 200
km from Xining, and rarely came home.

"I married her hoping she would take good care of my son," said Qi, 41. "I
know she sometimes hit the child, but I never expected it could harm him."

Cai is a divorcee and her 12-year-old son from the previous marriage is not
in her custody, Qi said. The woman has no job.

The boy's teacher, Shen Juxiang, said he was a good student. "He got full
marks in mathematics and Chinese last semester."