Harrowing footage of a mother in Dongguan physically abusing her daughter yesterday has gone big on Sina Weibo.

The woman can first be seen kicking the child’s buttocks, then dragging her ten metres before beating her more. The child looks littler more than a toddler.

When the police arrive, the mother remains defiant.

She can be heard shouting: “What business is it of yours?”

She then rants: “Not only can I make her cry, I can make her die. I can raise her my own way. Who are you to intervene? You’re not my relatives.”

At the end, a policeman can be heard saying: “This is taking place in our country.”

It emerged that the woman had just had a row with her husband.

The child was not injured, according to Xinhua. It remains to be seen what, if any, legal consequences the mother will face.