57-year-old Gui Junmin lost his wife Zhan Wenlian to lung cancer in 2017. Zhan was only 49 years old at the time. Out of love and devotion, Junmin decided to have his wife’s body frozen.
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The phenomenon of freezing people who have been declared clinically dead is called cryonics. They hope that in the future science will develop to such an extent that they can be brought back to life later.
Stored in liquid nitrogen
No sooner said than done. Junmin signed a thirty-year agreement with the Shandong Yinfeng Life Science Research Institute after Zhan’s death. Since then, her body has been kept in a 2000 liter container, in a vessel with liquid nitrogen at -190 degrees Celsius. Zhan thus became the first cryogenically preserved person in China.
Gui Junmin nurses his wife in her hospital bed before she underwent the freezing procedure. © Chinese Southern Weekly
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New flame
In an interview with the Chinese newspaper Southern Weekly, Junmin said he lived alone for two years after treatment. However, the idea that he would be alone for the rest of his life and wait for his wife changed drastically when he was confined to bed for two days due to a severe attack of gout.
Three years after his death, in 2020, he entered into a relationship with Wang Chunxia, although Junmin stated to the newspaper that this love was mainly “functional” and that she had not really “penetrated” his heart.
Gui sits down for a family meal with his new partner Wang Chunxia (center). © Chinese Southern Weekly
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“Is this fair?”
There were various reactions to the interview on social media. People say Junmin acted selfishly to only “satisfy his emotional needs.” One message asked: “Would Zhan agree to this? Is this fair to Wang?” Others thought he should have simply said goodbye to his wife: he should ”let the deceased rest in peace”.
Cryonicism
Cryonicism is currently used on a smaller scale in everyday medicine. This includes living cells such as blood cells, sperm and embryos that are frozen at extremely low temperatures to preserve them.
To date, no one has ever been successfully resuscitated after cryopreservation. Scientists are convinced that preserving and reviving the entire human body is still a remote possibility.