A man from southeastern China's Sichuan province filed a lawsuit in March against his three daughters. The charge? Not returning home or supporting him over the past 10 years.

According to a report in Chengdu Economic Daily, the man's daughters say he is guilty of domestic violence and of favoring boys over girls. Now a local court has begun mediation between the two sides.

The family currently relies on an agreement that the three daughters, Yang Liu, Yang Qing and Yang Lan, will each visit their father twice a year, and they will call him at least once every month. The mother of the three girls, Xiao Lu, admitted that their father used to favor boys, despite the fact that all five of his children are female.

The money transfer receipts provided by the three daughters.

In addition to their other claims, the three daughters blame their father for not being family-centered. Yang Qing said that her father never took an interest in their personal affairs, such as education, careers and marriages. The man did admit that he had not contributed enough to his family, but he rejected the notion that he had abandoned his daughters.

Nevertheless, the daughters cite many other reasons to distrust and avoid their father. Yang Liu remembered her father beating her in her own office after she turned down his request for money. Yang Qing also claimed to have been beaten by her father, specifying that he even hit her while she was pregnant. According to the daughters, they were afraid to visit him because of his violent temper. His wife also said that he used to beat her when they lived together.

Discussing the lawsuit, Yang Qing promised that, unless her father reformed his behavior, he would lose his family even if he won the lawsuit.

Wang Xiangxian, an associate professor at Tianjin Normal University, commented that the plaintiff had not fulfilled his obligations as a father. His breach of the law is the root cause of his daughters' behavior, said Wang, adding that it is unfair for the daughters to take responsibility for the situation.