BEIJING: A 76-year-old woman once dubbed China’s oldest mother of twins has returned to the spotlight after a photographic series chronicling her life recently won an international award.
Sheng Hailin, from Anhui province in central China, has also become a social media influencer with nearly one million followers, offering solace and inspiration to bereaved parents rebuilding their lives after loss.
Her only daughter, Tingting, and her newlywed husband died of carbon monoxide poisoning in 2009, according to China Youth Daily.
Grief-stricken and desperate to escape loneliness, Sheng underwent IVF treatment the following year at the age of 60.
The pregnancy was fraught with danger.
She suffered severe swelling and heavy bleeding before giving birth to twin daughters, Zhizhi and Huihui, in 2010, becoming China’s oldest woman to give birth at the time.
The twins gave Sheng and her husband a second chance at parenthood, but their birth also sparked national debate, with many questioning the couple’s finances and the children’s future.
Public records show Sheng was a hospital director before retirement, while her husband was a university professor.
Even so, the cost of raising the girls, from nannies and daily expenses to education, placed heavy pressure on the family.
Determined to secure her daughters’ future, Sheng reportedly travelled across China giving lectures on nutrition and health. Her efforts helped provide the girls with a strong education, including additional dance and piano lessons.
But her hard-won stability did not last.
In 2016, her husband suffered a stroke. He died of heart and lung failure in 2022, and was buried beside their eldest daughter.
The following year, Sheng was cheated out of over two million yuan (US$295,000) by a woman surnamed Chen who allegedly drew her into bogus investments.
Yet Sheng, who calls herself a “brave woman”, refused to be defeated.
At 73, she turned to live-streaming to save for daughters’ future. On short-video platforms, she shares parenting and cooking tips while selling health products and household goods.
Now known affectionately to fans as “Mother Sheng”, she has become a symbol of resilience for bereaved parents grappling with love, loss and ageing.
She has also spoken candidly about the generational gap with her daughters, saying she tries to stay young at heart, share their interests and keep up with youth trends.
“I will always be proud to be a mother,” Sheng once said, adding that she hoped to live beyond 100.
According to The Beijing News, she acknowledged that her path is difficult to replicate, requiring knowledge, good health and the ability to keep earning.
Still, she hopes mothers in all circumstances can find the courage to live for themselves.
One online observer of her story said: “I lost my child in middle age, but later had another. I was once confused, exhausted and in pain. But after following Sheng’s story, I came to believe I could start my life again.” - South China Morning Post/ANN
