A man in China who apparently tried to kill himself said he was ashamed that his son was still single at 29

• A man who collapsed at a Chinese train station reportedly expressed shame his son was single.

• He survived what is thought to be a suicide attempt and is said to be receiving hospital treatment.

• The case sparked a social-media debate about the pressures for young people in China to get married.

A father in China who seemed to survive a suicide attempt is said to have expressed shame that his son was not yet married at 29.

According to the local video news outlet KNews, the unnamed 55-year-old handed a note to guards at Shanghai Railway Station on January 22 and said he had just overdosed on medication. He then fainted on the spot, one of the guards interviewed by KNews said.

In the note, addressed to his son, the man wrote that he "lived a life of shame" because his son had yet to start a family, per the report.

"People of my age in the village all have children and grandchildren already," he reportedly wrote, adding: "But you are 29 and have achieved nothing."

While the man has survived the incident and is said to be receiving hospital treatment, the case has sparked a social-media conversation about the pressures for young Chinese to settle down early.

On China's Twitter-like platform Weibo, one user commented that as a father, he could relate.