Zhou wanted to visit her parents because in three years of married life she had only seen them once.

Aware that Chinese culture expected women to consider their husband’s families first, she nevertheless felt a lack of respect towards her family.

“I want to visit my family at Lunar New Year,” said Zhou.

“A married daughter is like spilled water. Stop always thinking about visiting your family,” her father-in-law told her.

Zhou was appalled by his abusive answer, and angrily told him she would forever be the daughter of her own parents.

“Nobody can stop me from going back to them this year,” Zhou said.

That was when he slapped his daughter-in-law’s face. Zhou was so shocked she burst into tears. She said it was her first time in her life she had ever been hit and it made her head throb.

Zhou’s husband tried to defend his father by saying he had never slapped a woman before and only did it because he was emotional and his blood pressure was high.

She was not convinced, and after discussing it with her husband they decided to visit her family on January 28.

Zhou said her husband supported her and knew how much she cared about his family because she often kept them company and spent a lot of money on them.

“They take everything for granted,” Zhou said.

Her husband understood her despair, so together they made the decision to move back to Zhou’s family, selling their flat and buying one in her hometown.

At the time of writing, the video clip had attracted 43,000 comments on Douyin. But her story has divided opinion on mainland social media.

“What an ancient father-in-law. Doesn’t he know it’s 2024?” one online observer said.

“How would the father-in-law feel if his daughter did not visit him?” another person wrote.

The opposite view was also taken by a number of contributors.

“He is doing a good job. Zhou must follow the long-lasting custom,” a third said.

“Her in-law family is her family, not her parents’,” another person said.