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Liya Su

A story about a five-year-old boy’s reaction to his 90-year-old grandfather’s explanation of life and death has touched social media users in China.
The boy, surnamed Lv, from Liaoning province in northeastern China, burst into tears after his grandfather told him that he would not see him when he grew up, Star Video reported.
In a video posted with the story, the boy and his grandfather are sitting side by side and looking at each other as they talk on a sofa.
“Will you be around when I grow up?” The boy asked.

“No, I won’t be around when you grow up, and you can’t see me any more,” his grandfather replied.
The boy’s face went blank before he started crying and wiping away tears with his hands.
The conversation then shifted to the boy asking his grandfather about the best way to deal with bad people.
“How will you scare baddies if they come to you?” The boy said.
“I have no idea,” the grandfather replied.
Later when the boy asked who could become his grandfather when he grew up, his grandfather answered that the boy would one day be a grandparent too.

The boy’s father told Star Video that life and death are serious matters but at the same time he was moved by the innocence displayed by his son.
“We can’t go against the law of nature but to accept it,” the father said.
The heartwarming story has touched many people online and has been seen by millions.
One person said: “What a touching yet heartbreaking conversation.”
Another wrote: “Oh, I’m weeping buckets.”
Recently, stories about parents and their children learning about life have been popular online. Last week, a father from central China’s Shanxi province told his little daughter that getting married when she grows up is her decision but that he expects her to spend time with him regardless.
Last month, a three-year-old girl in central Hunan province was in tears after seeing her father develop grey hair and thought he was dying.


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‘I won’t be around’: 90-year-old grandpa explaining death to grandson, 5, stirs emotional response from boy and Chinese social media

“No, I won’t be around when you grow up, and you can’t see me any more,” a grandfather tells his grandson in an emotional video on mainland social media. Photo: SCMP composite

The boy’s father said he was saddened by the conversation as death is a serious matter but was also touched by the innocence shown by his son. Photo: Baidu

The little boy wept when he realised his grandfather would die long before he grew up, but later cheered up as the pair discussed other subjects in the video. Photo: Baidu

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The couple’s new marriage document as shown in the viral video after they remarried at a local registration office. Photo: Weibo

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News

People & Culture

A video of a little boy asking his grandpa if he will see him when he is a grown-up has touched hearts on mainland social media
The grandfather’s answer that he would not as he would no longer be around reduced the boy to tears in the poignant video


A video of a five-year-old boy in China asking his nonagenarian grandfather about the meaning of life and death strikes a nerve on mainland social media where millions have viewed the story.


China society

‘I won’t be around’: 90-year-old grandpa explaining death to grandson, 5, stirs emotional response from boy and Chinese social media

A video of a little boy asking his grandpa if he will see him when he is a grown-up has touched hearts on mainland social media The grandfather’s answer that he would not as he would no longer be around reduced the boy to tears in the poignant video

A video of a little boy asking his grandpa if he will see him when he is a grown-up has touched hearts on mainland social media

The grandfather’s answer that he would not as he would no longer be around reduced the boy to tears in the poignant video