Man staged his own funeral to see how many people would attend

I know a lot of people always wondered how their birthday or wedding ceremonies would be like, but have you ever wondered what your burial ceremony would be like? That is the story of a Chinese man who held a funeral for himself just to see how many people would turn up. Zhang Deyang, 66, from northern Shandong province , was never married or had kids, but organised his own funeral and invited friends and family. He was reported to have done many good deeds that “didn’t grab much attention in the community,” leading him to spend 16,000 yuan (£1,700) on a mock funeral, a report on Netease portal said.

In Chinese culture, the dead are believed to have the same needs as the living. Families are not only expected to arrange for the funerals, but also pay regular visits to the graves. They burn incense to “feed” the dead and paper money for their loved ones to spend in the afterlife. Mr Zhang was worried that no one would take care of him in death. So he erected his own tombstone in advance a few years ago, and eventually planned this mock funeral this year. Some 40 relatives and friends, along with several hundred curious people from nearby villages attended. Mr Zhang wore an ill-fitted traditional Chinese suite in blue and gold and sat near a table of snacks as pretend mourners bowed at his feet.
Mr Zhang was seen posing for pictures with curious villagers and had a beaming smile so wide you could hardly see his eyes. The unusual ceremony reportedly included a mock wedding to a dead woman because it is seen as unlucky to go into the afterlife without a spouse.
“I organised this ceremony because I wanted to separate which people in my life truly cared about me and which ones were fake,” Mr Zhang said in an interview with website Qilu.
He may not have been prepared for the truth. Days after the event, he still remembered the 20 relatives and friends he invited who failed to show up.
“I can’t believe so many relatives and friends don’t care about me. It still weighs heavy on my heart,” he told the Qilu reporter.