Chinese Director Zhang Jizhong, 75, Hopes To Have 5th Child With 44-Yr-Old Wife
They’re now trying for a boy and have already picked out a nickname for him.
At 75, most people would probably be looking forward to retirement and a quieter pace of life.
Not Chinese director Zhang Jizhong, though. He’s hoping to become a dad again.
Best known for producing Romance of the Three Kingdoms, as well as his adaptations of Jin Yong’s wuxia novels, Jizhong and his wife Du Xinglin, 44, recently revealed that they are preparing to have another child.
Xinglin has a 10-year-old Eurasian son, Martin, who was conceived via in vitro fertilisation (IVF) before she married Jizhong in 2017.
After their marriage, the couple had a son and two daughters. Their youngest, nicknamed “Little Dragon Pearl”, was born in October 2024.
During a recent livestream, Xinglin revealed that they are now trying for another baby and have been paying more attention to their nutrition, health and physical recovery in preparation for a pregnancy.
She would like their next child to be a boy and has even given their prospective baby the nickname “Dragon Prince”.
The idea is for him to form a “dragon-and-phoenix” pair with Little Dragon Pearl.
Xinglin also said their children have been getting “cuter and smarter” with each addition to the family and described their household as being in a “positive cycle”.
Jizhong is fully on board with the plan, saying that despite his age, he still hopes to have another child.
Naturally, their plans have sparked plenty of discussion online, especially given their ages.
At 44, Xinglin would be considered of advanced maternal age if she were to become pregnant again, while Jizhong is 75.
Jizhong, however, has said that he remains in good health despite his busy work schedule. He previously said he continues working in his 70s to provide for his family and ensure they are financially secure.
According to Chinese media, Jizhong has also addressed concerns about becoming a father again at his age, saying he would do his best to be there for his children through their childhoods and watch them grow up.
The couple have faced plenty of scrutiny over their relationship since going public, largely because of their 31-year age difference.
In December 2016, Jizhong divorced his second wife and married Xinglin just a few months later.
He also has two older children from previous relationships.
His eldest daughter, Sarah Zhang, from his first marriage, is the CEO of a media company and is reportedly four years older than her stepmother Xinglin.
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