A Chinese school is using some hard-hitting techniques to relieve stress. Its pupils are being encouraged to attack dummies of teachers to release pent-up anger.

“Adolescent students may have a lot of problems and be under great pressure from studies,” the school’s vice principal Meng Fanxiang said. “It’s better for them to release it within the school than elsewhere.”

Pupils at the Lichang First Middle School in Jinan work off their anger by hitting pictures attached to sandbags. Meng’s own picture, as well as those of other teachers and admin staff, are there for pupils to punch. Luckily for the pupils, the vice principal told the Qilu Evening Post: “I don’t care if they beat up my dummy.”

The school’s “physical release” room, which includes a private chatroom and a consultation room, is part of a new programme of support services for students.

It is thought that high-energy forms of exercise such as boxing and martial arts decrease stress and increase endorphins, the body’s “feel-good” chemicals.