Renowned mainland Chinese actress Liu Xiaoqing, who is in her seventies, has always maintained a youthful and healthy image. Recently, she caused a stir by expressing on a show that “being strictly vegetarian is not sustainable,” and lamented that many of her vegetarian friends have passed away, sparking discussions about her skincare secrets.
At the age of 74, Liu Xiaoqing is still lively and energetic, with many netizens paying close attention to her skincare regimen. Particularly intriguing is her indulgent and hearty way of eating meat, which has garnered attention on social media.
In mainland China’s entertainment industry where female celebrities are often seen taking multiple bites of a single noodle strand, Liu Xiaoqing stood out by appearing on the variety show “Blooming Flowers Along the Way” and devouring a whole fish by herself. The sight was so captivating that even a young man in his twenties at the dining table put down his chopsticks, while Liu Xiaoqing continued to chew on the fish head with an air of confidence.
In a recent episode of the show, Liu Xiaoqing candidly stated, “Everyone shouldn’t always be vegetarian, you should eat some meat.” She reflected, “Many of my vegetarian friends have passed away.” She specifically cited the example of actor Chen Zuyong who played her sister in the movie “The Great Wall of the South Sea.” Chen adhered to a vegetarian diet throughout his life, believing it could help maintain health and prolong life. However, due to osteoporosis and weakened physical condition, he eventually passed away. Cai Ming also revealed on the program that her doctor advised her to eat more meat to supplement protein.
After this segment aired, many netizens agreed, saying, “Balance in nutrition is important. If malnourished, various illnesses may appear as one ages,” “Living well means eating well and sleeping well,” “One should balance the intake of meat and vegetables, not follow extreme dietary preferences,” and “We should listen to ‘Aunt Qing’ (Liu Xiaoqing), her good health speaks for itself.”
However, some netizens countered, saying, “The reason for being vegetarian is worth considering… Determination is crucial, along with considering one’s health condition. Many revered monks also follow a vegetarian diet and live long lives,” “There are also many long-lived vegetarians, merely being vegetarian without cultivating virtues holds no benefit,” “A vegetarian diet is very healthy,” and “Are there fewer deaths among meat eaters?”, “Aunt Qing is at such an age now, and many friends passing away is normal regardless of being vegetarian or not,” “Focusing on one aspect solely is too far from objectivity.”
Nowadays, many female stars refuse to eat meat in order to lose weight, but when it comes to Liu Xiaoqing insisting on eating meat, there is an interesting anecdote. According to reports from mainland media outlet Sohu, Liu Xiaoqing once cried and called out for meat to eat. She recalled that when filming “Empress Dowager Cixi” in the early 1980s, where she played Cixi and Hong Kong actor Tony Leung played Emperor Xianfeng, the treatment for actors from mainland China and Hong Kong were vastly different.
Liu Xiaoqing mentioned that during meal times at the filming location, mainland Chinese actors were given a plastic bag containing two steamed buns and a lump of pickled vegetables each, while actors and crew from Hong Kong and Taiwan had a trolley with dishes like braised pork, stir-fried pork, steamed fish, and white rice. She revealed that Hong Kong actors would trade in their meal tickets for food, and sometimes Leung would flush the uneaten meal tickets down the toilet. During one particularly hungry moment, she tore some of Leung’s meal tickets unnoticed and shared them with three other actors before later confessing the incident to him.
One day, Liu Xiaoqing couldn’t bear it anymore and started crying, demanding to eat rice and meat. The production manager immediately said, “Okay, okay,” and ordered to bring rice and meat. Liu Xiaoqing even generously said, “I can’t eat alone, everyone should have rice and meat together.”