Husband of China’s first cryogenic patient criticized for new relationship

The husband in China’s first cryogenic preservation case faced criticism in Jinan last month after acknowledging he has a partner while his wife remains stored at the Shandong Yinfeng Life Science Research Institute.

Gui Junmin described the new relationship as “purely utilitarian” and insisted he still loved his wife Zhan Wenlian even as he navigates the complexities of moving on. He said, “If I marry Wang, it would be considered bigamy” and added, “If my wife is revived, I am worried about how to handle the property.”

Gui authorized the pioneering procedure for Zhan in May 2017 immediately after she died of lung cancer. Technicians spent over two days replacing her blood with cryoprotectant before suspending her body in a 2,000-liter liquid nitrogen tank cooled to minus 196 degrees Celsius.

Unlike the standard 2 million yuan ($281,300) cost for such services, Zhan was accepted as the institute’s first volunteer and received the procedure for free. Gui signed a 30-year agreement with the institute to keep her in suspended animation and spent the following years regularly visiting the lab to speak to her container while waiting for a medical miracle.

A severe gout attack in 2020 left the 57-year-old immobilized on his floor for two days without assistance before relatives discovered him. This near-death experience and a subsequent coronary stent surgery prompted him to accept the companionship of Wang Chunxia to help manage household tasks and daily care.

Wang is a former insurance salesperson from a rural background who left school in the seventh grade and previously worked in factories and hair salons. Gui admitted to local media that he is now so unsteady he needs Wang’s help to cross the street and emphasized the practical nature of their arrangement by noting Wang has not entered his heart yet.

Social media users on Weibo accused him of wanting the benefits of a widower while enjoying a new romance. One popular comment specifically critiqued his psychology by suggesting his love for Zhan is merely an obsession with “playing the role of the grieving husband” rather than genuine devotion.

Gui has acknowledged the moral ambiguities but defended his choice as a necessity for survival. He maintained that while he cannot forget the past he must continue to live in the present to ensure he is around if Zhan ever wakes up.