Weiblog

China Does Not Allow Single Women To Freeze Their Eggs

An online discussion has erupted in China about the legality of single women freezing their eggs.

Published

10 years ago

August 3, 2015

Since a Chinese actress stated that she had her eggs frozen in the United States, an online discussion has erupted in Mainland China about the legality of single women freezing their eggs. Famous writer Han Han responds on Weibo: “Why are women not allowed to use their own eggs?”

“Manya, perhaps you should write about this,” my Beijing friend Lily texts me on Weixin: “I have been discussing this with some of my friends today, and it is somewhat of a sensitive topic.” She sends me an article that has been making its rounds on China’s bigger social media platforms, such as Sina Weibo and Weixin. It is titled “China Does Not Allow Single Women to Freeze Their Eggs” (中国禁单身女性用冷冻卵子), and has triggered much controversy.

Lily has passed her 30th birthday and is not married yet. She is also labelled a ‘leftover woman’ or ‘shèngnǚ‘, and laughs when she calls herself that way. She may want to have a child in the future, but first wants to go abroad and work on her career. For her, the issue of being able to freeze her egg cells, whether she is married or not, is a relevant one.

“Suddenly artificial insemination is an issue of public interest – unmarried women in China cannot carry out this procedure. ”

The online discussion about freezing eggs started after Chinese actress and director Xu Jinglei (徐静蕾) stated in an interview that she had nine eggs frozen in the United States in 2013, at the age of 39. She calls her frozen eggs a “back up plan”, in case she will not find a suitable husband and regrets not having children. The news of these frozen eggs attracted the attention of many of China’s single women who may want to have a child some day. It has suddenly made artificial insemination an issue of public interest, especially because China’s National Health and Family Planning Commission stated that unmarried women in China cannot carry out this procedure.

More specifically: although single women in China technically can have their eggs frozen (if they have the money for it), they will not be able to have them inseminated unless they provide three certificates: their identification card, their marriage certificate, and their ‘zhunshengzheng‘ (准生证 ) – the ‘Permission to give Birth’, which will not be issued without the marriage certificate. In short: single women will not be able to have a baby through artificial insemination, because they will never get the required legal papers to go through with the procedure.

Famous Chinese blogger and writer Han Han (韩寒), one of the most influential people on Weibo, shares his thoughts on the issue. “Is it impossible to want a baby when you are not married? One cannot use one’s own eggs?”, he writes: “Why can’t women decide on their own whether or not they want to have children? And what if an unmarried woman does get pregnant, and they don’t get a ‘Permission to give Birth’? Then the child cannot even get a residence registration”.

“Why should having a baby be bound together with being married?”

With his Weibo post, Han Han strikes a particularly sensitive chord, not just because he addresses the issue of freezing one’s eggs and artificial insemination, but also because he raises questions about China’s ‘Permission to give Birth’. This certificate is necessary for the vast majority of people who want to have a baby in China. Without it, the child will not have a residence permit (hukou 户口), and as a consequence, will not be registered in China’s social system – meaning they cannot go to school or have any other societal rights. (For more information, read this excellent blog about giving birth in Chengdu by ChengduLiving.com).

Artificial insemination itself is not illegal in China when it is done by a married couple; it is only against the law when done by those who are not lawfully married.

“Why should having a baby be bound together with marriage? Even I, a simple straight guy, cannot see the logic in this,” Han Han writes.

“Women are not men’s child-rearing machines or walking wombs.”

He later adds another post to this. It says:

“Some people don’t agree with my Weibo post, saying that children should have a stable family and that they should be raised with a father, and that they’d be miserable otherwise. Of course, such a mainstream family is best, but we also have to give the right of choice to the people who are not mainstream. Besides that, being married now doesn’t mean you will not divorce later, just as unmarried mothers might find a husband. Don’t take away the freedom of choice from those who have different ways of thinking than you (…). Women are not men’s child-rearing machines or walking wombs.”

The issue of being able to freeze one’s eggs and Han Han’s reaction have become a much-discussed topics on China’s social media.

Freezing one’s egg cells, like IVF, officially falls under the category of ‘human assisted reproductive technology’, which is reportedly prohibited for single women according to China’s current law. User Zhao Lao Ai refers to a Zhihu message board on the issue, where lawyer Ji Hongwei says that he has not found any legal ground why freezing eggs should be illegal for single women. “After reading into the issue carefully,” the lawyer says: “I did not find any one of the conditions for ‘human assisted reproductive technology’ stating directly, or indirectly, that unmarried single women cannot make use of it.” The lawyer therefore wonders who is in charge of the Family Planning Commission, and on which law the conclusion is based that single women cannot have their own eggs inseminated.

The feminist group The Voice of Women’s Rights has issued a balanced and nuanced statement on Weibo, saying: “There are many social implications behind the pressure for women to bear children, and they cannot merely be solved through technical procedures. Freezing eggs is a costly and risky operation, with low success rates, and it does not necessarily brings women freedom in terms of child-bearing. However, it should be one of the options that women have.”

Some Weibo users are less nuanced, clearly expressing their anger, saying: “Even in ancient times it was not illegal for women to be single mums – now there is family planning or a two-child policy, but you cannot control our wombs by the freezing eggs issue!”

“This is China, deal with it.”

Of the ten thousands netizens that responded to the issue, there are also many who disagree with Han Han, and those who simply state that “this is how China works, deal with it.”

For my friend Lily, the issue is simple. “I don’t know where I will be in five, six years time. I don’t know if I’ll be married. I don’t know if I want children. I don’t even know if I would want to freeze my eggs. I only know that I want the freedom to be able to make the decision.”

By Manya Koetse
Follow @WhatsOnWeibo

Image by Global Times.

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Manya Koetse

Manya is the founder and editor-in-chief of What's on Weibo, offering independent analysis of social trends, online media, and digital culture in China for over a decade. Subscribe to gain access to content, including the Weibo Watch newsletter, which provides deeper insights into the China trends that matter. More about Manya at manyakoetse.com or follow on X.

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China Local News

Aftermath of Suzhou Marathon’s “Pissing Gate”

Published

4 days ago

April 24, 2025

Manya Koetse

🔥 Quick Take: Trending in China – Week 17
This is a brief update from our curated roundup of what’s trending in China this week. A version of this story also appears in the Weibo Watch newsletter. Subscribe to stay in the loop.

It has already been over seven weeks since the Suzhou Marathon took place, but it was trending again today in light of a statement that has come out regarding a particular situation.

During the March 2nd Suzhou Marathon, which had over 25,000 participants, images and videos went viral showing how some runners stopped to take a toilet break and urinated against the main sign of the Jiangsu Suzhou Experimental Middle School (江苏省苏州实验中学).

At the time, the Suzhou Marathon soon released an official statement denouncing the “uncivilized” behavior of the runners.

Other images showed that there were portable toilets set up along the route, but even there, there were runners urinating in public.

Portable toilets along the route.

Runner urinating behind the portable toilets.

On April 24, the Chinese Athletics Association (中国田径协会, CAA), the national governing body for athletics in China, issued a statement saying that, according to the association’s disciplinary regulations, ten participants who urinated against the school sign have been banned from participating in any marathon affiliated with the CAA for the next three years, until March 1, 2028.

The Chinese Athletics Association further stated that they have decided to revoke Suzhou Marathon’s eligibility to apply for event certification in 2026.

Although most online commenters agree that the runners should be punished for their behavior, some also note that it seems “unfair” that Suzhou Marathon also cannot apply for organizing its 2026 marathon:

💬 “(..) because of the uncivilized behavior of just 10 people, Suzhou Marathon’s eligibility to apply for certification from the Chinese Athletics Association in 2026 was directly cancelled. Isn’t this kind of penalty a bit unfair to Suzhou? After all, just 20 meters away from where those people were peeing, there were many portable toilets set up.”

Just around the corner from where the runners urinated in public, there were plenty of portable toilets set up.

Where they peed against the wall, and the toilets nearby.

The punishment for the Suzhou Marathon seems to be a classic case of “killing the chicken to scare the monkey” (杀鸡儆猴): a drastic measure that sends a clear message to other marathons. Not only should they provide plenty of portable toilets, but they must also enforce measures or assign staff to ensure that another “pissing gate” doesn’t happen in the future.

By Manya Koetse with contributions by Miranda Barnes

(follow on X, LinkedIn, or Instagram)

Spotted a mistake or want to add something? Please let us know in comments below or email us. First-time commenters, please be patient – we will have to manually approve your comment before it appears.

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Featured

Do You Know Who Li Gang Is? Anti-Corruption Official Arrested for Corruption

What? Another Li Gang?!

Published

6 days ago

April 22, 2025

Manya Koetse

Do you know who Li Gang is? On April 22, 2025, it is the name that is top trending on Chinese social media platforms Weibo, Douyin, and Kuaishou, following the news that Li Gang was arrested (#李刚被逮捕#) and suspected of accepting bribes.

Li Gang is the former head of the Discipline Inspection and Supervision Office (纪检监察组) at the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and the National Supervisory Commission (NSC). The CCDI (中央纪委) is China’s top internal Party watchdog, while the NSC (国家监委) is the anti-corruption agency at the state level. Together, they form the most powerful Party-state anti-corruption force in the country.

The 59-year-old Li Gang is — or rather, was — an experienced Party member and senior investigator who led the team at the Central Organization Department.

Of course, there is great irony in the fact that the very person whose job it was to act as an internal watchdog overseeing and investigating corruption among officials is now accused of accepting bribes himself. According to China Daily, Li associated with political fraudsters and resisted organizational investigations. He accepted banquets that compromised the impartial execution of his duties, illegally took money and goods, and abused his position for personal gain and to benefit others in various ways.

Li, born and raised in Sichuan Province, joined the Communist Party in 1986. Over the years, he held various positions, including Deputy Party Secretary of his native Dazhu County, Party Secretary of Zigong city, and Vice Governor of Sichuan Province. In 2023, he was appointed head of the Discipline Inspection and Supervision Office at the Central Organization Department.

Many commenters on social media call Li Gang a “traitor” or “mole” (内鬼 nèiguǐ). One Weibo blogger (@张胜军), along with one commenter (@第一球迷胖哥), wrote:

💬 “This is truly a case of breaking the law while enforcing it (执法犯法), like a thief crying ‘stop the thief’ (贼喊捉贼), and they got caught in the end.”

💬 “The case of Li Gang exposes the problem of how some officials have lost their ideals and are just hungry for power. Public opinion is calling for systematic limitations to leave less room for corruption, and to strengthen the normalization of oversight for the ‘key minority’ [the power elite].”

Besides the comments pointing out the irony of Li being caught for bribery given his position, and those calling him a disgrace to Sichuan Province, many netizens are also noting the familiarity of his name.

For many Chinese, the name Li Gang—especially in connection with power abuse—brings to mind another official associated with the famous online meme “My Dad is Li Gang.”

In October 2010, 22-year-old Li Qiming (李启铭), while driving under the influence, hit two female college students at Hebei University, killing one and seriously injuring the other. After fleeing the scene, he was arrested and infamously said: “Sue me if you dare! My dad is Li Gang!” His father, also named Li Gang, was the deputy director of the local public security bureau in Baoding.

Despite efforts by authorities to suppress the story at the time, “My Dad is Li Gang” (“我爸是李刚”) quickly went viral, becoming a nationwide meme. The phrase inspired widespread online creativity, including a contest encouraging netizens to incorporate the quote into classical Chinese poetry—drawing thousands of humorous and satirical entries.

The humor extended offline as well. Road safety signs in Guangxi read: “Dear friends, drive slowly. Your father is not Li Gang” (“朋友，开慢点, 你爸不是李刚”). Car stickers appeared with slogans like: “Don’t touch me, my dad is Li Gang” (“别碰我，我爸是李刚”).

Li Qiming was eventually sentenced to six years in prison for the accident, but the phrase “My Dad is Li Gang” lived on as a meme to expose and mock abuses of power.

The other Li Gang tearfully apologizing for his son’s actions back in 2014.

The sentence resurfaced in June 2014, when the phrase “Do you know who my dad is?” (你知道我爸是谁啊) became a trending topic on Weibo. This followed an incident during the college entrance exams in Fuxin, where a student arrived at school in a BMW and was caught cheating on his phone. When confronted by a teacher, he attacked her, shouting: “Do you know who my dad is? You still dare to check me?”

That moment also drew comparisons to the Li Gang meme. The phrase “Do you know who my dad is?” reflects the attitude of a group often labeled as fù’èr dài (富二代, “Second-Generation Rich”) and guān’èr dài (官二代, “Second-Generation Officials”)—those who believe they are untouchable due to their parents’ status. This attitude is closely tied to fraud, corruption, and power abuse—not just by the children themselves, but by their parents as well.

The current Li Gang incident brings everything together for many people, though it has also led to some confusion: “Which Li Gang is this? Is this the Li Gang from ‘My Dad is Li Gang’?” The current Li Gang is actually much higher in position than the one from 2010.

“Again, another Li Gang,” some say. “Another corrupt official.”

Although the name Li Gang itself may not be so special—many people have an uncle or neighbor with the same name—the current trending Li Gang news story now inevitably links the name with power abuse, entitlement, and corruption, but also with the idea that eventually, those who do wrong will be punished.

As of On April 7, 2025, Li has been expelled from the Communist Party and dismissed from public office. His case has now been transferred to the procuratorate for review and prosecution.

By Manya Koetse

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