bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Alice Yan

A famous dancer in China who was diagnosed with breast cancer and endured dozens of rounds of medical treatment last year still devotes herself to dancing.
Zhu Jiejing, a 39-year-old principal dancer with the Shanghai Dance Theatre Company, says dancing is more important to her than life itself.
Zhu shot to fame with her lead roles in prominent dances at the state media CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala Show four times in the past five years. The show is the most watched TV programme in China.
She was absent from the stage for almost a year in 2024 after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

Zhu surgery on her left breast and endured chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the Xinmin Evening News reported.
She also suffered from side effects such and and physical weakness.
But she never gave up dancing.
While lying in hospital beds, Zhu clutched at water bottles to boost the strength of her arms. After doctors allowed her to be up and about, she often danced in the corridor.
In January, when her surgical wounds had not fully healed, Zhu hid from her family that she went to Beijing to join dance rehearsals for this year’s Gala Show.

“I must dance. Dancing is more important than life,” Zhu was quoted as saying.
“Returning to the stage again, I feel all my frustration and sorrow gradually disappear through dancing. I believe that only the stage, only dance and only performances can cure me and save me,” she said.
Zhu is from Jiaxing in the nearby Zhejiang province, eastern China. She started learning dance at the age of six.
At the age of nine, Zhu persuaded her parents to let her apply for the prestigious Shanghai Dance School, a boarding institution.
Thanks to her dancing gift and diligence, she was accepted.
Zhu graduated from the Shanghai Theatre Academy, also a top institution in China.
In the 2000s, she won gold at the China Lotus Awards, the highest award for dancers in China, four times.
In May of this year, Zhu won the Plum Performance Award, the top prize for opera artists in the country, for her role in the dance drama Ibis. She became the first dancer to receive this award in the past two decades.
Ibis has been performed in both China and Japan more than 400 times since 2014.

Zhu said she would never forget her dance in the Ibis in May when she was contending for the Plum Award.
“I feel I am using my life to dance. My life is worth it because I am competing for the Plum award,” she said.
Mainland social media has been full of best wishes messages for Zhu.
“Sister Zhu, you represent the highest level of dance in China. I hope you stay healthy,” one person said.
“I feel sorry that she got cancer. But she was not in low spirits; instead she continued to shine on the stage through her enthusiasm for dance. I hope she can beat the disease,” said another.


Why China children wear ‘canine-head hats’ and have humble names like dogs or pigs

Chinese ex-policewoman ‘Hotpot’ addresses workplace stereotypes in stand-up comedy

Video of Chinese uncle joining dancers on walkway with funny pose gains 10 million views

‘Repaid kindness’: Japan war orphan raised by multiple China families is now a midwife

Trending in China

‘More important than life’: cancer-stricken China dancer keeps performing in major shows

A prominent Chinese dancer who is battling breast cancer keeps performing in major shows and says: “Dancing is more important than life.” Photo: SCMP composite/Weibo

Zhu Jiejing shot to fame with her regular appearances on the most watched television show in China. Photo: Baidu

The 39-year-old Zhu continued rehearsing despite her serious medical condition. Photo: Baidu

Zhu started dancing at the age of six and by the time she was nine years old, had had been accepted into a prestigious school. Photo: Baidu

China ‘military officer’ dates man for 8 years, vanishes with US$91,000 for home makeover

A woman in China who claimed to be a military officer and dated a man for eight years has vanished with US$91,000 given to her to cover a bogus home renovation and made-up wedding expenses. Photo: SCMP composite

The “happy couple”, who had only met a handful of times, even had pre-wedding photos taken. Photo: QQ.com

Factory worker Ji was continually fobbed off with “confidentiality” excuses by Li when he asked her questions about her life. Photo: QQ.com

On the few times they met in person, duplicitous Li was always in a hurry to leave, telling Ji that she had to get back to her “unit”. Photo: QQ.com

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang wins hearts of millions in China with Tang suit, rusty Mandarin

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang captivates millions of Chinese fans with a charm offensive that includes wearing a Tang suit and speaking imperfect Mandarin. Photo: SCMP composite/AP/Kyodo

Known for his trademark black leather jacket and jeans, Huang has been dubbed “Leather Jacket Guy” by the mainland media. Photo: AFP

Jensen Huang interacts with journalists after the opening ceremony of the China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing on July 16, 2025. Photo: Reuters

Huang’s relaxed charm and friendly demeanour have deeply resonated with many Chinese fans, and delivering his speech at the expo in Mandarin has further increased his popularity. Photo: AP

China woman suffers brain haemorrhage, in coma after sunbathing to improve health

A 67-year-old woman in China suffered a brain haemorrhage and ended up in a coma after sunbathing to improve her health. Photo: SCMP composite/RedNote/Baidu

Experts say that when it comes to sunbathing, keeping strict control over the amount of exposure to the sun is vital. Photo: Shutterstock

A 2023 report by a medical journal said that the heat killed more than 50,000 people in China in 2022. Photo: Shutterstock

While traditional Chinese medicine remedies often work for other conditions, experts say when it comes to exposure to the sun, people should be extremely cautious. Photo: Shutterstock

China officials order cleaners to sift through tonnes of rubbish for lost watch, spark outrage

Transport officials in China have been slammed for ordering two cleaners to search through tonnes of rubbish in the searing heat for a child’s lost watch. Photo: SCMP composite/news.chengdu
cn/sxwbs.com

It took the two cleaning workers four hours to sift through piles of rubbish before they found the watch. Photo: QQ.com

After the mother and child left the high-speed train they discovered that they had left the gadget on board. Photo: Getty Images

Tonnes of rubbish were removed from the high-speed train and taken to an outdoor area, at which point the cleaners were ordered to search through it for the smartwatch. Photo: Getty Images

China teacher gives CPR to collapsed woman on street, is accused of groping her

A male teacher in China who performed CPR on a woman who collapsed in the street has been accused of groping her chest. Photo: Shutterstock

Pan, wearing the white baseball cap, got off his bicycle to come to the woman’s aid. Photo: Weibo

After Pan and the woman doctor took turns performing CPR, the woman regained consciousness and was taken to hospital in an ambulance. Photo: Shutterstock

Many online observers defended Pan, saying that in such a critical situation, it should not matter whether a man or a woman saves a person’s life. Photo: Shutterstock

News

People & Culture

China Personalities

Celebrated performer endures hair loss, vomiting and physical weakness side effects of treatment, says ‘I must dance’


Celebrated performer endures hair loss, vomiting and physical weakness side effects of treatment, says ‘I must dance’.


Cancer

CCTV

‘More important than life’: cancer-stricken China dancer keeps performing in major shows

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Celebrated performer endures hair loss, vomiting and physical weakness side effects of treatment, says ‘I must dance’

Celebrated performer endures hair loss, vomiting and physical weakness side effects of treatment, says ‘I must dance’