Dance legend Yang Liping shuts down haters criticizing her child-free lifestyle

Chinese dancer and choreographer Yáng Lìpíng 杨丽萍 is an internationally acclaimed artist best known in China as the “peacock princess” for her contemporary dance productions that draw heavily on her traditional culture as a member of the Bai ethnic group. Yang is now 61 years old and still active — she has a performance scheduled for December in California.

Despite Yang’s long list of accomplishments, some Chinese internet users say she has “failed as a woman” because she is unmarried and childless. The critics were responding to a since-deleted video she posted on June 6 to Douyin (TikTok’s Chinese sister app).

The video had nothing to do with motherhood or marriage: It simply showed Yang sitting alone, eating hotpot. One person responded:

A woman’s biggest failure is having no children. You are lying to yourself if you feel good about just living for yourself. No matter how pretty and fulfilled you are at this moment, you will age eventually. When you reach 90, you won’t be able to experience the joy of having a full room of children and grandchildren.

The misogynist comment somehow struck a chord with some internet users: In the course of two days, this comment received more than 11,000 likes on Douyin.

Yang didn’t respond to the comment immediately, but a large number of people fired back on Yang’s behalf on various social media platforms, slamming the “antiquated” notion that motherhood equals happiness for a successful woman. “People who choose to be single and child free don’t owe anyone an explanation. If you really want one, I am telling you now: They just want to live their life that way!” a Weibo user wrote (in Chinese).

Some people also pointed out that the criticism faced by Yang reveals a deep-seated bias against women without children, as many Chinese people still think that the decision to forgo parenthood is not only abnormal, but also morally wrong for a woman. “Women have full control over their reproductive choices. It shouldn’t be a moral imperative for women to have babies,” a Weibo user commented (in Chinese).

A string of female celebrities have also joined the chorus of support for Yang. In a Weibo post (in Chinese), actress Lǐ Ruòtóng 李若彤 says that as an unmarried adult, she faces similar comments on social media every single day. “Regardless of gender, if you are reading this post, I hope you won’t feel rushed to make any life-changing decisions only because of your age or what other people think,” Li wrote. Actress Chén Shù 陈数 took to Weibo (in Chinese) to share a screenshot of a TV show she worked on, in which her character asks, “Does a woman’s value rely on motherhood?” In the caption, Chen answered, “No!!”

Before the controversy, Yang had addressed questions (in Chinese) about her plans for marriage and children on multiple occasions. In 2012, in response to speculation that she had to lead a single and child-free lifestyle because of her career, Yang explained in an interview that her decision had nothing to do with her profession. “The purpose of some people’s life is to procreate. Some are here to enjoy. Some are here to experience. Some are here to observe. I’m an observer of other people’s lives,” she said.

In 2017, she told a journalist that when she was in her twenties, she realized she didn’t need marriage.

Today, Yang deleted the video that inspired the offensive comments. Before deleting the video, she responded to her critics with grace:

Aging and death is inevitable for everyone. But you will radiate a unique charm if your spirit is young and your personality is pleasant. You are good as long as you live a satisfying life and you do no harm to others. Thanks for all the understanding and love. I hope we can all be free and stay true to ourselves.