Chinese Woman, 22, Conducts Her Own 'Life Affirming' Funeral

A Chinese student conducted her own funeral service to experience what it would be like once she dies, and to value the time and effort of the people close to the deceased.

Zeng Jia, 22, held her own funeral by an expensive coffin and hiring make-up artists to give her a deathly appearance. She also paid for the customary services associated with a funeral by getting people close to her to eulogise her as she lay in the coffin.

Zeng spent an hour in the coffin with her Hello Kitty close to her before she arose to appreciate her own ceremony.

Zeng came up with the idea of holding her own funeral recently after her grandfather passed away. She said she wanted to experience her own passing away to cherish the efforts made by people close to her, which she would not be able to if she actually died.

"It struck me that people spend all that time and effort on someone when they are gone and they cannot appreciate it," she said. "I wanted to see what people would think of me so I decided to hold my funeral while I could enjoy it."

Zeng, who hails from Wuhan in Hubei province, said conducting her own funeral and being in the coffin for almost an hour made her value life more than before.

"Experiencing death has made me appreciate life more keenly. I feel so good living after coming out of the coffin," she said.