Childless Chinese actress to critics: Mind your own business!

In China, where traditional values — and new Communist Party campaigns — dictate that women’s social responsibility is to procreate, taboos surrounding childlessness are particularly deep-seated. To make things worse, on the Chinese internet, discussions about life without children publicly and supportively have become magnets for misogynist trolls, who turn almost every logical conversation about the subject into a barrage of personal attacks.

One woman has had enough of it and is ready to fight the toxic narrative.

In a recent interview with Tencent Entertainment, Qín Lán 秦岚, a 41-year-old Chinese actress who played a main role in the hit imperial drama Story of Yanxi Palace 延禧攻略, expressed no interest in rushing into marriage and having babies due to societal pressure. Qin said:

I was asked a lot about my marriage plans a few years ago. Some people say a woman staying single is an irresponsible choice, but I find that baffling. I think it’s more irresponsible for women to get married just because they think it’s the right thing to do. Some people even say that it’s women’s obligation to bear children. To them I want to say, it’s none of your business if I use my uterus or not…

I’ve been in relationships where marriage was on the table, but I didn’t go with it because I didn’t think I was ready. On the one hand, I wasn’t fully prepared to balance work and family at that time. On the other hand, marriage for me is a lifelong commitment that requires a lot of compromises and mutual caring. When you have a kid, you need to consider what kind of life you want to give to them. These are heavy responsibilities and I have to think thoroughly before taking that step.

Qin didn’t go as far as to say that she definitely does not want marriage and children. But just being open and unapologetic on the issue is rare and brave for female celebrities in China. However, Qin is the second Chinese celebrity to take on critics of her childlessness in recent months. Chinese dancer and choreographer Yáng Lìpíng 杨丽萍 gracefully shut down critics judging her child-free lifestyle in a social media post last month.

Qin’s interview is trending on social media. Her honesty and outspokenness have drawn an overwhelming amount of support from people who share her views. “Women being single and having no children is not a crime. Rather, those who think women should get married and breed are outdated and shallow,” a Weibo user wrote (in Chinese)

Inevitably, the actress also attracted unwanted attention from the most misogynist corners of the Chinese internet, with a group of anti-feminists accusing her of being selfish and morally wrong. “Nature gives you a uterus and you are obligated to procreate. If every woman is like you, humans will become extinct soon!” a Weibo user commented (in Chinese).