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▲“Mourners” at the ceremony placed candles next to her “dead” body and bowed, mimicking a normal funeral. Photo: Weibo• Heartbroken woman invites friends to strange ‘deathbed’ ceremony in florist shop• 25-year-old says ‘funeral’ signifies start of new life without the man she had dated for 3 yearsA young woman who staged her own funeral in a bizarre attempt to get over breaking up with her boyfriend has left many people bemused on social media.The woman, 25, surnamed Wang, from Sichuan province in southwestern China invited her friends to “bid her farewell” on October 28.Wang, whose three-year relationship with her boyfriend ended six months ago, said she had attended several wedding parties recently, and was always asked by her friends when they could attend hers.So, to kill two birds with one stone, she decided to throw a party with a twist for her friends, in the form of a funeral. This would give them a chance to gather and symbolize the resurrection of a new life without her boyfriend.She invited a dozen friends to the ceremony, which was held in a florist shop in the provincial capital Chengdu. The venue had been provided free by the owner of the shop.A video clip online shows Wang lying on her “deathbed” surrounded by candles, while her friends bow and give her white flowers one by one, in the manner people do at normal funerals.She then “came back to life” and chatted with her friends about life and death.Wang said the “funeral” was her way of healing the heartache she felt after breaking up with her boyfriend because his parents would not let them marry.She also had an unhappy childhood as one of China’s many so-called “left-behind” children who see little or nothing of their parents growing up.The term “left-behind children” was coined to describe those who are left in rural areas by parents who go to urban areas for work.The strange event puzzled many people on social media, however, some online observers praised her creativity.“People holding their own funerals sound ominous to me. To be honest, it makes me a bit scared,” said a person on Douyin.“The funeral was not for her, but for her three-year romantic relationship and her youth,” said another.“I think she is really brave, using such an unconventional way to say goodbye to her past and embrace her new life,” commented a third.In July, a woman in Shanghai said she was moved to tears by her mother, who searched online for tips to make her feel better after she broke up with her boyfriend.She said her mother’s love had given her the power to move on.
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