Chinese woman goes viral after declaring she prefers ‘high-quality singlehood’ over ‘low-quality marriage’

A Chinese woman has gone viral after declaring that she prefers “high-quality singlehood” over “low-quality marriage.”

The 36-year-old unnamed woman, who lives alone in her home in Dalian, a city in China’s Liaoning province, said she would rather live alone and be independent than commit to a relationship for the sake of getting married.

In a video posted by Star Video, the woman says she does not subscribe to the belief that “marriage is a guaranteed utopia or sanctuary,” adding that while marriage may offer stability and a home, it may also lead to less freedom.

“I think nowadays women are no longer living in the age of depending on men in marriage, so I find my way to live my life,” she says.

The woman showcases her calm and slow lifestyle in the video, lounging in her pajamas around her home and cooking meals that she likes. Her story has reportedly garnered over 270,000 views and more than 27,000 comments from social media users.

Getting married at a certain age is a cultural norm in China. When a woman remains single past 27 years old, she is typically labeled as a “sheng nu” or “leftover woman,” a derogatory term used to describe single women.

The woman in the video is just one of the many women in China who are standing up against the pressure to get married. According to China’s National Bureau of Statistics, the number of Chinese people opting to stay single fell by 41% from 23.8 million in 2013 to 13.9 million in 2019.

Although the Chinese government banned arranged marriage when it passed the New Marriage Law in 1950, the practice remains common in China today, with parents forcing their adult children to get married. Some parents even post ads on the “marriage market.”

Several social media users applauded the woman in the video for her independence. “I don’t judge her choice as she is free to make her own decisions, but I support her living for herself,” one user wrote, according to South China Morning Post.

Others, however, disagreed with her life choices.

“What will she do when she gets older? She won’t find anyone to keep her company,” one user reportedly wrote.

“She is selfish. If many people thought like her, where would the next generations come from?” another user reportedly commented.