A man threw sulfuric acid in his ex-girlfriend’s face after hounding her in the months since they had broken up in Guangzhou’s Tianhe District on April 6, local media have reported. In spite of the numerous threats, her friends say they did not foresee the attack, which took place in the beauty parlor where she works.

Xiao Yun before the attack.

Now the girl, who is nicknamed Xiao Yun, looks unrecognizable, is unable to fully open her eyes, and will probably never fully recover.

After breaking up with her boyfriend, Xiao Yun changed her phone number several times because he would not stop sending her threatening text messages. He also got in contact with her colleagues.

On the day of the attack, he showed up at her place of work and asked her to come out as he “just wanted to talk to her,” Xiao Yun’s boss told media. The attack took place in broad daylight and the boyfriend is currently in police custody.

In India, acid attacks on women have become so common that campaigners are demanding the crime get its own specific legislation. Let’s hope this does not represent the start of a trend in China.