Forgetful Elderly Man Melts Hearts in China Because He Only Remembers His Late Wife

The tear-jerking tale started when police found 90-year-old Zhang Liansheng aimlessly roaming around the streets of Dalian, while carrying what turned out to be a love letter and a certificate with him.

The letter was addressed to the man’s late wife, Xin, who he told not to worry since he had already bought medicine to alleviate her menstrual pain. He signed his  letters as simply “Sheng”.

“The sewing machine has been bought, and its parts are ready to be delivered to the village by bus, where you can receive it … I may only be able to return around May 10, don’t worry,” the senior wrote.

Just hours after the letter was posted on the Internet, a social media user was able to identify Zhang. It was later revealed that he used to work at a factory far away from his home. According to South China Morning Post, the elderly man retained only a portion of his memory such as knowing that he studied at Dalian University of Technology.

The letter was dated April 30 1977, and the sender’s address marked as Changling Agricultural Equipment Factory in Zhuanghe county, Liaoning Province.

While Zhang claimed that he couldn’t even remember his name or his home address, he apparently never forgot to take the memories of his late wife with him wherever he went. The other document that Zhang held turned out be the 17-year-old cremation certificate of his significant other along with an even older love letter dating back to around 40 years ago.

Pictures of the man carrying the letters while being accompanied by police immediately went viral on Chinese social media site Weibo. Zhang’s story touched the hearts of netizens, including one commenter who summarized the story with the line, “I’ve forgotten who I am, but I still haven’t forgotten that I love you.”

Memory failure often comes with age, but love knows no bounds. Not all Chinese seniors end up having fits of amnesia — a 59-year-old Chinese man defied time by staying incredibly fit, while another case featured a senior who received his PhD at 105.

Featured Image via Flickr / Peter Hellberg (CC BY 2.0)