China’s ‘fastest female nurse’ quits hospital job amid sponsor, shift controversy
Zhang Shuihua, who was the fastest local woman at the Harbin Marathon, resigns after row over clash between work and running
China’s “fastest female nurse” resigned from her “iron rice bowl”, or job for life, after being disciplined by her hospital for taking outside paid work without approval and lying about why she needed to swap shifts.
Zhang Shuihua, a nurse at the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, earned her unofficial title after running a personal best of two hours, 35 minutes and 27 seconds at the 2025 Harbin Marathon in August, finishing as the top Chinese woman.
The 34-year-old amateur was in tears at the finish line, saying it had not been easy for her to compete, claiming her supervisor had refused to let her swap shifts.
But Zhang said: “I don’t need special leave, just the chance to swap weekends.”
Her comments sparked backlash online, with some criticising her for not thanking her supervisor, colleagues or the hospital and accusing her of “lacking emotional intelligence”.
In much-repeated comments, another social media user mocked her for “complaining about the supervisor, swapping shifts with colleagues, and taking the prize for herself”.