An elderly Chinese man wondering if anyone would care about his death decided to find out by organizing his own funeral while he was alive, a pantomime that has drawn sympathy on Chinese social media but angered authorities.
The 84-year-old man, surnamed Zhang, spent the equivalent of $2,900 at the end of February in a funeral parade through his town in the Anhui province (east) and the video of the “performance” has gone viral, he collects. today the South China Morning Post.
On the morning of the funeral, more than a hundred “mourners” gathered at Zhang’s home for a banquet, and then a three-hour procession began as the old man rode through town sitting in a red coffin carried on a truck while waving greetings. to surprised passers-by.
Later, the man explained that he had the idea after buying a coffin in anticipation of his death, since he feels very lonely since his wife died two years ago and his children, now adults, moved away.
Zhang felt that arranging his funeral while he was alive would keep him entertained and happy, saying it was worth the money because he enjoyed it so much.
Despite the support of the neighbors, the local authorities believe that the funeral parade disrespected tradition and the dead, so they have opened an investigation.
On Chinese social networks, however, the old man has aroused sympathy for his positive approach to death: “I admire his attitude towards life and I hope he reaches one hundred years,” said one Internet user, while another opined that “despite being alone, Zhang knows how to enjoy life.”
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
