Chinese Man Buys Coffin For Alive Mother, Hires People To Carry It Home. Here's Why

Last Updated:July 12, 2025, 20:31 IST

A man in Hunan, China, bought a coffin for his 70-year-old mother, hiring 16 men to carry it home for good fortune.

In Chinese culture, coffins are believed to carry auspicious connotations. (File)

In an unusual display of filial piety, a man in China’s Hunan province drew a widespread attention online after he bought a coffin for his 70-year-old alive mother to sit in and hired 16 men to carry it from the shop to his home.

The unnamed man, a resident of Shuangxikou Town in Taoyuan County, Changde, Hunan Province in southern China, reportedly undertook the act in the belief that doing so would bring his mother’s good fortune and long life.

The video of the gesture, widely shared on Chinese social media platform Douyin, showed the cheerful elderly woman sitting inside the coffin holding a fan and the men carried it in a procession, South China Morning Post reported.

A brass band played ahead of the procession, which attracted a large crowd of curious onlookers. After reaching home, a traditional ceremony with incense and offerings was held. A villager said he had seen such events three times before.

“The core idea is to express filial piety. It is a rural tradition. The elderly are usually very happy about it, but it is not very common these days," he told Guizhou Radio TV Station.

According to the villager, the ceremony costs around $2,800 (Rs 2.4 lakh). It included the expense for the banquet, horn players and coffin bearers.

In Chinese culture, coffins are considered auspicious because  guancai, the Chinese word for coffin, sounds similar to “official wealth." Allowing living elderly people to experience the coffin is believed to bring blessings, longevity and peace.

In many villages, people over 70 prepare their own coffins and keep them at home. Funerals for the living are called “celebrations", showing a calm approach to death.

Chinese funerals include many superstitions. One is covering mirrors to protect the spirit and avoiding crying near the coffin. The direction of the coffin is chosen carefully. The funeral procession is grand, often led by music.

Shobhit Gupta

Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben...Read More

Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben...

Read More

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Beijing, China

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News viral Chinese Man Buys Coffin For Alive Mother, Hires People To Carry It Home. Here's Why