Imagine dating someone and learning that his late wife is preserved in a tank of liquid nitrogen, kept at temperatures far below freezing and waiting for a future in which she might be revived. It is a scenario that feels closer to science fiction than real life, yet it is something one woman in China is currently experiencing.
Her situation became public after it was confirmed that she is now in a relationship with 57-year-old Gui Junmin. For her, this unusual reality is part of daily life, and it has drawn serious attention from people around the world who have been watching the story unfold.
Zhan Wenlian became the first cryopreserved person in China. Her body remains stored in a -320°F chamber marked “Container No. 1” at the Shandong Yinfeng Life Science Research Institute. The facility is known for its advanced technology and strict preservation environment, designed to keep bodies stable for as long as needed.
Around the world, roughly 500 people have been cryogenically preserved so far, with most of them stored in the United States. The practice remains experimental and controversial, but interest has been growing as some families search for options beyond traditional end-of-life care.
“When she left, my world collapsed; I didn’t know what to do,” he reportedly said at the time, describing the pain and shock he felt as he tried to navigate an unimaginable loss.
Then in November 2025, Chinese news outlets reported that Junmin had entered a new relationship. Reports claimed that he began dating in 2020 and eventually moved in with his new partner, a revelation that quickly fueled widespread discussion online.
“If something really happens when you’re alone, there’s nothing that that person can do. No one can know even if they die at home,” Junmin said, reflecting on how the experience made him reconsider whether living alone was safe or sustainable for him in the long term.
Critics argued about how his late wife might feel, whether enough time had passed for him to move forward, and if he was being honest with himself or simply acting out of convenience. Some accused him of being “devoted only to himself,” suggesting he was prioritizing his own comfort rather than honoring his previous commitment.
Online, one person wrote: “Now he is holding one woman in his arms while hoping to reunite with another in 30 years. What is this: emotional polygamy?”
Others stepped in to defend him, believing he was not acting out of selfishness but out of genuine grief and human need. One person argued: “The past is the past, and the living must continue to live.”
Another said: “This man is an honest and good person. First of all, he must have loved his deceased wife very much, otherwise he wouldn’t have wanted to preserve a last vestige of memory through cryogenics, just as he said, so he could visit her whenever he missed her; he didn’t truly want to forget her.”
Even though Junmin now lives with his new partner and continues to build a life with her, he insists that the love he had for his wife remains. His feelings have not faded, and he still holds on to the hope that she could return someday if cryogenic science advances enough to make revival possible.
“She hasn’t entered my mind yet,” he said, as per Dexerto. “I have a responsibility for her, but it’s a complicated matter. She can never replace my wife. I can’t just forget the past, but I still have to live my life.”
