A photo showing severe bruises on a nine-year-old boy's back sparked great outrage among Chinese Internet users. [Photo: Weibo.com]

Chinese authorities have applied to arrest a woman in connection with a child abuse case in east China's Nanjing city.

The woman named Li Zhengqin was suspected of severely beating her adopted son surnamed Shi. The case has aroused great outrage among Chinese internet users.

The foster mother is facing the charge of intentional injury, according to Nanjing police via their Weibo account.

It is reported that the boy's teacher alerted police when the 9-year-old showed up to school with severe bruises on his body.

Pictures circulated on the internet show bruises on the child's back, legs, arms, belly and feet.

The police said the case is still under investigation.

Last month, a six-year-old girl in Yiwu City, east China's Zhejiang Province, was allegedly beaten to death by her mother during a "family dispute", triggering calls for better protective measures for minors.

Of the 697 child abuse cases exposed by the media from 2008 to 2013, 74.75 percent were committed by parents, the Beijing Youth Legal Assistance Research Center revealed.