appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Liya Su

A news story about two single mothers who have decided to share a home and all domestic responsibilities after divorcing has sparked widespread debate on mainland social media.
Zou and Guo, both 28, from Guizhou province in southwestern China, call themselves “divorce partners” and they live like a family with the children from their marriages.
They say they are thoroughly enjoying the arrangement, and the lifestyle suits them both very well.
Zou, who has a three-year-old daughter, said she has been divorced for three years, and Guo has raised her five-year-old son alone for four years.

They came up with the idea of living together after they agreed they did not want to marry nor live with a man any more.
Both have jobs, and they share a flat and a car. They began the co-living arrangement in December last year.
“Although the flat is not big, it is full of freedom,” Zou said in the video. “I feel like our life is just beginning with this fresh start after getting divorced.”
While both admitted they were deeply traumatised by divorce, they say they are more content with their life as it is now.
Married life meant they were constantly exhausted by conflicts with in-laws and other family affairs on top of the housework and cooking.
Now they are able to focus more on their children and also have time for themselves.
In the video, Zuo and Guo are seen shopping in a supermarket with the children.
When they get home, they cook dinner then show the children how to dance afterwards. They also make time for themselves with pampering sessions at a beauty salon.
“Though we’re living a busy and hard life, we have found inner peace and happiness,” Zou said.
The two friends are excited about their future and are making plans for themselves and their children.
“This year our goal is to buy a better car so we can take the kids travelling,” Zou said.
Their story has divided opinion on mainland social media while attracting more than 6 millions views.
Many were captivated by their choice, but a few could not agree with it.
“Life does not get any better than that,” said one online observer.
“Girl helps girl. That is really good,” said another.
“Someday they will fall out,” wrote one pessimist.

“What will happen if one of them falls in love again?” Another asked.
In November last year, data released by China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs, showed that 1.97 million couples registered for a divorce in the first three quarters of 2023, an increase of 330,000 from a year before.
The regions with the highest divorce rate were Guizhou, Tianjin and Chongqing.
Before that, the divorce rate in China rose from 0.096 per cent in 2000 to 0.31 per cent in 2020, but dropped to 0.2 per cent in 2021 after the government introduced a divorce cooling-off law that requires couples to wait for 30 days before finalising the paperwork.


Malaysian tourists in China face backlash for calling locals ‘smelly’

Ex-China military dog handler has 5 million online followers for low-cost pet treatments

Ex-China military dog handler offers low-cost pet treatments, has 5 million online followers

Zheng Yuxiu: modern China’s ‘xia nu’ assassin and first female PhD who fought for justice

Trending in China

China single mother friends become ‘divorce partners’ sharing life, resources under one roof, dividing public opinion

Two women divorcees in China have decided to shun men by living together, sharing childcare duties and domestic chores while living under the same roof. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin

Both single mothers went through painful divorces, but now they are living and loving life to the full together. Photo: Douyin

The women say they are content with their life together, but their lifestyle choice has divided opinion online. Photo: Douyin

Google software engineer from China charged with murder after allegedly beating wife to death in US home, shedding light on domestic violence

A Google software engineer from China has been charged with murder after allegedly beating his wife to death in their Silicon Valley home in the United States. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Weibo

Police found Chen inside the couple’s Silicon Valley home covered in blood splatters next to his badly beaten dead wife. Photo: Weibo

Chen was an elite student and studied Electronic Engineering at the famous Tsinghua University from 2014 to 2018.  Photo: Weibo

Woman in China sues ‘husband’ of 10 years with whom she has 8 children for US$28 million in maintenance after finding out he is married

A woman in China is suing her “husband” of 10 years, with whom she had eight children, for US$28 million in child maintenance after discovering that he has another wife. Photo: SCMP composite/Baidu

All eight children, five sons and three daughters, were born to a surrogate mother in the United States. Photo: Baidu

The woman claims she has documentary proof that her marriage to the man is legal. Photo: Baidu

China father drops US$140,000 jade ring from high-rise window into drainage ditch, successful 4-day search sparks firework party

A father in China who dropped a US$140,000 jade ring, a gift for his son’s wife-to-be, from the ninth-floor window of a high-rise block had to hire a salvage team to carry out a four-day search to find it.
Photo: SCMP composite/Baidu

Salvage workers took four days to find the ring which had disappeared into the murky depths of a drainage channel. Photo: Baidu

There were wild celebrations by onlookers when the ring was finally retrieved. Photo: Baidu

China fans of Wong Kar-wai’s Blossoms Shanghai TV series spark demand for bespoke suits, food dishes that appear in hit show

Hong Kong film director Wong Kar-wai’s hugely popular new mainland TV series Blossoms Shanghai has sparked a spin-off business bonanza driven by fans eager to sample the lifestyle depicted in the show. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Weibo

Blossoms Shanghai’s main character Hu Ge’s sartorial choices have sparked a rush by fans to have clothes made just like his. Photo: Shanghai TV

Shanghai’s famous Peace Hotel on the Bund, a central setting in the TV series, is cashing in by offering Blossom Shanghai-themed meals, and has even renamed a suite after the show . Photo: Shutterstock

Gasping China surgeon collapses on floor after blowing air into lungs of toddler for 30 minutes during life-saving operation

A surgeon in China was so committed to keeping a  toddler patient alive that he blew air into the child’s lungs for 30 minutes and collapsed on the floor of the operating theatre as a result. Photo: SCMP composite/CCTV

In order to stabilise the toddler’s blood oxygen levels, the doctor blew air into child’s lungs for 30 minutes. Photo: China Youth Daily

The surgeon’s commitment to his task caused him to faint and collapse on the floor of the operating theatre. Photo: China Youth Daily

News

People & Culture

Gender & Diversity

Women, both 28, reject marriage, men, focus on children and themselves
Both divorcees share flat, car, shopping, cooking, housework, childcare, fun and laughter


Two hardworking female friends in China who each have a child and are no longer married, have decided to pool their resources and live together for moral support as well as practical reasons.


China society

Women and gender

China single mother friends become ‘divorce partners’ sharing life, resources under one roof, dividing public opinion

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Women, both 28, reject marriage, men, focus on children and themselves Both divorcees share flat, car, shopping, cooking, housework, childcare, fun and laughter

Women, both 28, reject marriage, men, focus on children and themselves

Both divorcees share flat, car, shopping, cooking, housework, childcare, fun and laughter