Backlash as China husband kowtows to wife following birth of son after 3 daughters, praises her pain endurance in ‘fight for family’
- Husband thanks wife for risking life, gives her US$1,400 reward during labour
- Account attracts 67,000 followers, many critical, wife defends her man
A husband in China who knelt in front of his wife for giving birth to a son – after already producing three daughters – has been hit by an online backlash.
The unidentified man from Meizhou, Guangdong province, in southeastern China, shared a video of the moment on his Douyin account, along with the caption, “Shasha Couple (Announcing the birth of a Dragon son for the fourth child),” and attracted 67,000 followers.
The video shows his wife in a wheelchair, holding a bouquet of flowers, as her husband kneels down before embracing and kissing her. Moved by his gesture, she covers her face to wipe away tears.
“My wife is about to be discharged from the hospital, 9 months of pregnancy and labour, all the pain is borne by you alone,” the husband wrote.
“This is the fourth time you’ve risked your life for me. Thank you for making my life more complete. Three daughters and one son make up the Chinese word ‘good’. Wife, you’ve worked hard,” he continued.
However, the gesture drew criticism from online observers who argued that true love would not compel a woman to risk her health and endure painful childbirth repeatedly just so a man could have a son.
The husband defended his actions to Jiupai News on February 26, saying: “My wife has been with me for 13 years, fighting for our family four times. Kneeling to her is quite normal.”
His wife weighed in with her take on the criticism: “Public opinion does not concern me. My husband’s kneeling isn’t a performance for others. He understands my sacrifice.”
In another video in July 2023, it had been revealed that the pregnancy was unexpected, coming just 10 months after the birth of the couple’s third daughter.
At the time, the husband disclosed his fears about having another girl, saying he had been mocked by society for not having a son.
His wife appeared enthusiastic about striving to keep trying, and expresses gratitude for her husband’s actions.
In another video, posted on February 25, the woman was having painful contractions, struggling to walk along the hospital corridor and leaning on a railing for support. With each step, her husband handed her several hundred yuan.
“Two years ago, when I gave birth to our third daughter in this hospital, my husband rewarded me with two thousand yuan to encourage me to walk more, offering two hundred yuan (US$28) per step,” the woman said.
“This time, with our fourth child, a son, my husband directly rewarded me with 10,000 yuan (US$1,400). Seeing so much money made the contractions suddenly feel less painful,” she added.
In addition, the woman shared a video expressing gratitude towards her husband for caring for her during the post-partum period, which included cleaning and caring of her intimate areas.
“These are things he never did after the births of our three daughters. Having a son seems to suddenly make him appreciate my sacrifices.”
His actions attracted criticism online.
“I studied medicine, and I don’t believe in ‘accidental pregnancies’. I believe a son will cure her of ‘accidental pregnancies’,” one person said.
“If it were my husband making me give birth to four children just so he could have a son, even if he knelt 100 times, I wouldn’t be impressed,” said another.
“People obsessed like this aren’t kneeling to their wife, they are kneeling to their newborn son,” a third person added.
