Former spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zhao Lijian’s wife, Tang Tian, revealed today (August 6) that she was diagnosed with stage 5 breast cancer in June last year and has undergone two surgeries. Due to not wanting to endure further treatment, she has decided to give up Western medical treatment. Doctors told her that if she did not undergo chemotherapy, she only had six months left to live.
Tang Tian made the announcement on her Weibo account “Da Cong and Stinky Girl” on August 6.
On August 4, Tang Tian, who had not posted for a long time, suddenly shared multiple photos of herself wearing hospital gowns lying on a hospital bed leaning against Zhao Lijian. She wrote, “Life is only once, narrowly escaping death… You are the best husband and also an outstanding party member,” sparking attention and discussion once again.
Following this, Tang Tian posted again, revealing that in early June last year, she was diagnosed with stage 5 triple-negative breast cancer. Doctors recommended immediate hospitalization for surgery as the disease progressed rapidly and was highly dangerous. However, in order to fulfill her work commitments, after multiple discussions with the doctors, she postponed the surgery for 7 to 10 days to first complete a signing agreement event with the Prime Minister of Pakistan before returning to China for treatment. With an IV in her hand, she traveled to Pakistan for work, where she could only sleep 2-4 hours a day due to needing two sleeping pills.
On August 6, she posted on Weibo again, stating that after returning from her business trip, she underwent two surgeries in a public hospital in Beijing, with lymph node involvement, leading to a lymph node dissection. Post-surgery, doctors scheduled 8 sessions of chemotherapy and radiation therapy simultaneously. During a follow-up visit, doctors advised that starting chemotherapy and radiation within a month would yield the best results. When her husband wanted to make an appointment, she stopped him as she didn’t have the strength to speak or communicate with him, slowly making her way to the hospital entrance to take a taxi home.
Tang Tian said she directly asked doctors at other specialized oncology hospitals, “How long is my life expectancy after chemotherapy and radiation?” The doctors informed her that without treatment, she had only 6 months to live, but with treatment, there was a 50% chance of living between 6 to 24 months. “I instantly felt devastated. What will happen to my husband and children in the future?”
She mentioned that thirty minutes later, she made the decision to reject Western medical treatment. She didn’t want to burden Zhao Lijian by taking him to the hospital every day, nor did she want to see herself sitting weakly in a wheelchair. Since time was short, she chose to make her final days more comfortable through traditional Chinese medicine treatment.
On March 8 this year, Zhao Lijian publicly expressed his affection towards Tang Tian.
Tang Tian has previously sparked controversy with her posts. When Zhao Lijian was reassigned as the Deputy Director of the Department of Border and Maritime Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in January last year, some interpreted this as a cold reception due to Tang Tian’s tendency to make indiscreet remarks. However, she hasn’t changed her high-profile style.
Since Zhao Lijian’s position change, he has remained out of the public eye.
On the night of January 21 last year (New Year’s Eve), Tang Tian posted on Weibo, sharing a photo of Zhao Lijian pasting a “door couplet”. This marked the first “appearance” of Zhao Lijian after his new position in the Department of Border and Maritime Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
On July 10, 2023, amid reports of the then Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang disappearing for over a month, Tang Tian posted, “Today is a good day, using a video taken by a friend,” and attached several videos of Zhao Lijian from public events. About an hour later, Tang Tian shared another post with an image of a banner praising Zhao Lijian as a “good official who is honest and serves the country and the people.” This move was interpreted online as Tang Tian throwing shade at Zhao Lijian.