Chinese woman keeps mentally-ill son chained in a barn for 23 years... now she wants someone to care for him when she dies

• Tang is naked because he tears up any clothes given to him, says his mother
• He sleeps on the ground because she can't afford straw for his bed

These pictures of a mentally ill man naked and chained to a wall in the most appalling conditions are enough to shock even the hardest amongst us.
But amazingly his mother, who has kept him locked in a ruined barn in Chongqing, southern China for 23 years, claims it is for 'his own good' and that she loves him dearly.
Xiao Anrong, 76, is now appealing for help to care for Tang Zuhua, 40, because she says she is worried about what will happen to him when she dies.

Harsh conditions: Xiao Anrong gives her 40-year-old mentally-ill son Tang Zuhua a haircut. She has appealed for someone to look after him when she dies

Locked up: Tang's leg muscles have wasted away because he has been chained up for so long and he can no longer walk

Since her two other children left home, Xiao has cared for him on her own and has to bathe him, trim his hair, clean out his barn and feed him while living on a pension of £16 a month.

She claims her son has to be kept chained and naked because he tears up any clothes he is given and is a danger to himself.
After being chained to the wall for 23 years, Tang can no longer walk properly because his leg muscles have wasted away.
He sleeps on the bare ground as Xiao cannot afford straw for his bedding.

Cold ground: Tang sleeps on the floor of the barn because his mother cannot afford straw for his bed

Climbing the walls: Tang has been chained up in the barn since he was 17, when he became violent, according to his mother

She said: 'I hope somebody can help me - I fear for the future for my poor boy when I am no longer here.
'I have three children but although his brother and sister are normal he was never normal, and when he was 17 he became violent and smashed things.
'We locked him in the barn and had to chain him to keep him there - and because he always ripped up his clothes we have to leave him naked.'
She said: 'Some kind neighbours donate food. Otherwise we wouldn't manage.'