The man said he feels very lonely since his wife passed away two years ago and his children moved away.
An elderly Chinese man wondering if anyone would care regarding 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 with the last name Zhangthe equivalent of $2,900 in a funeral parade through his town in the province of Anhui (this) and the video of the “performance” has gone viral, the newspaper reported today South China Morning Post.
On the morning of the funeral, more than a hundred “mourners” gathered at Zhang’s house for a banquet and then began a three-hour procession in which the old man walked through the town sitting on a red coffin carried on a truck while greeting surprised passers-by.
Later, the man explained that he had the idea following buying a coffin in anticipation of his death, since it was he feels very lonely since his wife passed away two years ago and their children, already adults, moved far 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 deadSo 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 From being alone, Zhang knows how to enjoy life.”
