By Yating Yang
A renowned Chinese TV host ignited a heated online controversy after openly expressing her preference for boys over girls and presenting drumsticks to two young men instead of a young woman during a show.
Zhu Dan bizarrely justified it by stating that 鈥渂oys need more nutrition to grow.鈥
Zhu, 44, hailing from Zhejiang province in eastern China, is celebrated for her work on popular TV programmes like Do You Remember and The X Factor.
She is a mother to a daughter and a son with her husband, actor Zhou Yiwei, whom she married in 2017.
In 2019, she faced widespread backlash following a significant verbal blunder at a fashion event, where she confused the names of several celebrities 鈥 an error deemed unacceptable for a prominent and professional host.
The recent controversy erupted during the variety show Wonderland, when Zhu, while preparing chicken soup, remarked that the chicken drumsticks should be given to the two male guests, Zhou Yiran and Dong Sicheng, aged 25 and 28, respectively.
In China, there is a common cultural perception that drumsticks are a more desirable cut of meat, typically reserved for favoured guests.
She explained: 鈥淭he two young men are still growing and need more nutrition to develop.鈥
She then suggested that the chicken wings be given to another female guest, 21-year-old Ouyang Didi, despite her being younger than the men.
When another participant of the show, actress Ning Jing, later asked Zhu if she 鈥減articularly favoured boys鈥, Zhu candidly replied, 鈥淎 little鈥.
Adding further fuel to the fire, Zhu later asserted that 鈥渉eterosexual attraction鈥 instinctively leads parents to favour children of the opposite sex. For example, fathers typically prefer daughters, while mothers tend to favour sons.
These comments highlight a sensitive and historically rooted aspect of Chinese cultural preference for male offspring, which remains a deeply entrenched issue in some mainland regions today.
The incident sparked a wave of criticism across mainland social media, with many netizens expressing disbelief and anger.
One person sarcastically asked: 鈥淪o she thinks that girls don鈥檛 need nutrition to grow up?鈥
Another commented: 鈥淭he most ridiculous thing is that she doesn鈥檛 even realise it鈥檚 inappropriate to say such things on a show. As a host who literally works with her mouth, shouldn鈥檛 she at least know what鈥檚 appropriate to say? I honestly don鈥檛 understand how she became a nationally famous host.鈥
A third added: 鈥淭his just shows that Zhu Dan must have grown up in an environment where boys were favoured over girls, making these attitudes and behaviours seem natural to her.鈥
In response to the backlash, Zhu issued a public apology on June 18, stating that she 鈥渉ad seen all criticisms and suggestions,鈥 while expressing gratitude for the feedback, saying it would help her 鈥渃orrect and grow鈥.