Shocking video captured the moment a man threw a four-year-old across the floor of a soft play centre in southern China after he allegedly had a dispute with the man's son over toys.

The CCTV video, shot in the city of Nanning in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on January 13, shows a man running towards the child before violently dragging a boy out and throwing him across the floor.

According to the victim's mum, she left the soft play area for a short time and she was not there when the incident happened. The two boys may have had an argument over the toys.

Police opened a file for the incident and are searching the man in the video.