A Chinese man who cryogenically preserved his late wife has sparked a heated debate online after media reports revealed he had begun dating a new girlfriend while his former spouse remains frozen.
Gui Junmin, 57, first made headlines in 2017 when he decided to freeze his wife, Zhan Wenlian, after her death from lung cancer at age 49, making her China’s first person to be cryogenically preserved. Gui had signed a 30-year agreement with the Shandong Yinfeng Life Science Research Institute to maintain her body in -190°C liquid nitrogen, stored in a 2,000-litre container.
Following Zhan’s death, Gui lived alone for two years. In 2020, however, he revealed in a November interview with Southern Weekly that he had started dating Wang Chunxia. Gui described his new relationship as “utilitarian,” explaining that it served practical emotional needs rather than romantic love. He admitted that a severe gout attack — which left him immobile for two days — influenced his decision to seek companionship again.
The news has divided public opinion on Chinese social media platform Weibo. Some sympathize with Gui, noting the long duration since his wife’s preservation, and argue that it is natural for him to move forward with his life. Others criticize him for acting selfishly, suggesting his actions may be unfair to both his preserved wife and his new partner. Comments ranged from urging Gui to “let the departed rest in peace” to questioning whether Zhan would approve of the situation.
Cryonics is the preservation of a body at sub-zero temperatures in the hope that future technology may enable revival. The process involves cooling the body, infusing it with cryoprotectants to prevent ice crystal formation, and storing it in liquid nitrogen.
Currently, cryonics is largely experimental, with no recorded cases of a human being revived after full-body preservation. The practice is more commonly applied on a smaller scale in medicine, for blood cells, embryos, and sperm, which are routinely frozen for future use. Globally, over 500 people are estimated to have been cryogenically preserved, the majority in the United States.
Gui’s story highlights both the emotional and ethical dilemmas surrounding cryonics, raising questions about love, loyalty, and human attachment in the age of experimental science.
