A father in China attempted suicide because he was ashamed that his son was still single at the age of 29

Yahoo

The extreme case sparked a social media conversation about the pressures for young people in China to get married early — ideally before they turn 30.

A father in China attempted to commit suicide because he was ashamed his son was not yet married at the age of 29.

According to local video news outlet KNews, the unnamed 55-year-old handed a suicide note to guards at Shanghai Railway Station on January 22 and said he had just overdosed on medication. He then fainted on the spot, said one of the guards interviewed by KNews.

In the note, addressed to his son, the man wrote that he “lived a life of shame” because his son had yet to start a family, per the report.

“People of my age in the village all have children and grandchildren already … but you are 29 and have achieved nothing,” he wrote.

While the man has survived the incident and is reportedly receiving hospital treatment, the case has sparked a social media conversation about the pressures for young Chinese to settle down early.

On China’s Twitter-like platform Weibo, one user commented that as a father himself, he could relate.

“The father’s responsibility is to raise his son well and give him a good education, but also see him married and start a business. Only then can he complete his mission,” he wrote.

Others commented that it would be even…