Only 37.5 percent of respondents interviewed by phone in a survey in Guangzhou considered children being hit by parents or other relatives to be domestic violence, with many believing such behavior is natural.

The survey, commissioned from Sun Yat-sen University by the Guangzhou Women's Federation early this year, consisted of questionnaires distributed to 1,610 urban neighborhood committees and village committees, questionnaires sent to 1,150 residents and phone interviews with 1,000 residents of Guangzhou, the capital city of Guangdong province.

Those polled through phone interviews were divided in their definition of domestic violence, with 56.9 percent including long-time ignoring of another, 48.5 percent including shunning sex with a spouse for a long time for no spoken reason, and 38.7 including financial sanctions, according to the federation.

To prevent and tackle domestic violence, more than 70 percent of those polled by phone said they would seek counseling and reconciliation from social workers, seek help from women’s federations or report such cases to the police.