‘Just for fun’: man in China holds own funeral to see how people react, with video of him sitting on top of coffin and waving at people going viral
- An elderly man in China, curious about how many people would remember him after he is gone, staged his own funeral while still alive
- The story has trended online in China but angered local authorities, who say the fake funeral makes a mockery of death and mourning
A lonely 84-year-old man in eastern China who wondered if anyone would care if he died decided to find out by holding his own funeral while still alive “for fun”.
The Anhui province resident, surnamed Zhang, held his funeral in the village where he lives on February 27. The unusual event was captured in a video that has since gone viral on mainland social media, Jimu News reported.
On the morning of the funeral, more than 100 locals assembled at Zhang’s house, where he had prepared a feast for them as a thank-you for their help.
After the meal, the three-hour funeral began with Zhang sitting on top of a red coffin on the back of a moving truck as he waved to people he passed in his village. A group of locals drove tricycles and motorcycles behind in a procession.
An unnamed villager told Jimu News that Zhang had approached him earlier this month to ask for help planning his own funeral. The villager was surprised by the odd request but agreed to help make Zhang’s wish a reality.
“He said that he would like to see the scene of his funeral before he passed away,” the villager said.