A nine-year-old boy was whipped with skipping ropes by his adoptive mother – for not knowing the story of Pinocchio . Photographs of the child , who was also beaten with metal rods and water pipes , have sparked outrage across China after they were shared online . His adoptive mother Li has been arrested on suspicion of child abuse after teachers at his school in Nanjing raised the alarm , says The People ’ s Daily . The nine-year-old boy was whipped with a skipping rope by his adoptive mother , leaving scars over his body . The 50-year-old had adopted the boy after when he was six after was given up by her cousin , who thought she was sending her child to a better life away from the deprived rural area in which they lived . Instead , shocking images show the child was covered in injuries – including cuts to his ear where he was hit with a metal rod and bruising on his legs and hands when he was smacked with a water pipe and scars all over his back . The abuse was first discovered by the boy ’ s school six months ago , but teachers assumed it was a one-off case and did nothing more about it . Photographs of the boy 's horrific injuries were shared online as his adoptive mother was arrested for abuse . The 50-year-old woman told the boy 's school she was 'strict ' with him and was trying to correct his bad habits . When his form teacher noticed his injuries were getting worse and the boy was becoming withdrawn and afraid of people , authorities at the school questioned him more . He told them his adoptive mother had carried out the beatings when he did n't know the answers to questions about the children ’ s book Pinocchio , which she had asked him to study as extra-curriculum homework . The school contacted the woman , who admitted she was ‘ strict ’ with him and said she was only trying to correct his bad habits , and they contacted the Nanjing Public Security Bureau . The boy was away with his adoptive father during the Chinese Qing Ming festival when the revelations came to light , and they were brought back to Nanjing to protect the child . A statement on bureau ’ s website confirmed the mother had been arrested and they were investigating the case . The nine-year-old is now temporarily back with his biological parents , and a number of professional psychologists in Nanjing have been enlisted to offer the child support .
WARNING : # CONTENT . Child left with horrific scars by her mother over how she set him . Biological mother had left her daughter to live with cousin for a better life . Adoptive is now in custody after incident that sparked outrage in China .