A man from Hunan Province in southern China has been imprisoned by his own mother in a chicken shed for an astonishing 13 years , according to the People 's Daily Online . Tang Shuangqiang 's mother claimed he suffered from mental problems and was called the 'crazy fighter ' by their neighbours . She said the family was poor and locking him up in the outhouse was the best solution she had . Home but not home : Tang Shuangqiang ( pictured ) , who is said to suffer from mental illness , has been imprisoned by his mother for 13 years . A resident of the Yang Liu village in Shaoyang City , Mr Tang , 46 , started suffering from split personality in 1991 due to various emotional setbacks , including love failures , his mother claimed . Mr Tang 's plight was only discovered when old schoolmate Ms Xiao went to visit him , hoping for a happy reunion after 28 years . Instead , Ms Xiao was shocked to see that her old friend being chained with rusty shackles in a former chicken shed no larger than six square metres . Behind the bars : The lot was previously used to keep chickens . There is no furniture or bed inside . The space has no furniture or bed and is filled with hundreds of red plastic bags , which Mr Tang 's mother uses to serve him meals . His mother said her only income is an annual subsidiary of 3,000 yuan ( £323 ) from the local authority and she can not afford proper medical care for son .
dong Shuangqiang , 46 , is said to suffer from mental illness . The small cottage was used to keep chicken and has no electricity . Plight only came to light when an old family friend paid a visit . Mother says she is poor and has no other way to look after herself . Mr Tang is called the ' crazy girl ' by neighbours .