Man who cryogenically froze ex-wife sparks debate by dating new partner
53 minutes ago Share Save Laura Cress Technology reporter Share Save
Southern China Weekly
A Chinese man who cryogenically froze his dead wife has sparked an online moral debate after Chinese media revealed he had been dating a new girlfriend as his former partner lay preserved in liquid nitrogen. As a sign of his devotion, Gui Junmin decided to freeze his wife Zhan Wenlian's body after she died from lung cancer in 2017, aged 49, making her China's first cryogenically preserved person. But after a November interview revealed he had been dating a different partner since 2020, Chinese social media has been torn on Mr Junmin's predicament. Whilst some asked why the 57-year-old didn't just "let go" another commenter remarked he appeared to be "most devoted to himself".
After Zhan Wenlian was given months to live by doctors, Gui Junmin decided to use cryonics - which is scientifically unproven - to preserve her body once she died. Following her death, he signed a 30-year agreement to preserve his wife's frozen body with the Shandong Yinfeng Life Science Research Institute. Since then, Zhan's body has been stored in a 2,000-litre container at the institute in a vat of -190C liquid nitrogen.
A 'utilitarian' relationship
Chinese newspaper Southern Weekly revealed that although Mr Junmin lived alone for two years after the procedure, in 2020 he began dating again, despite his wife remaining in cryopreservation. He told the newspaper that a severe gout attack which left him unable to move for two days began to change his mind about the benefits of living alone. Soon after, he started seeing his current partner Wang Chunxia, although Mr Junmin suggested to the paper the love was only "utilitarian" and that she hadn't "entered" his heart. Reacting to the news, some commentators on the Chinese social media site Weibo showed sympathy with Mr Junmin's plight, highlighting how long it had been since his wife was put in the cryogenic chamber. Some believed it was time for him to move on from his frozen former spouse, adding he should, "let the departed...rest in peace". But others suggested the he had acted selfishly to only "satisfy his emotional needs", with one post questioning "Would Zhan agree to this? Is it fair to Wang?".
What is cryonics?