China’s First ‘Frozen’ Wife: Husband Faces Backlash for New Relationship

A Chinese man who drew worldwide attention in 2017 for cryogenically preserving his late wife is now at the center of a new controversy after confirming he has entered another relationship.

Gui Junmin, 57, made headlines seven years ago when his wife, Zhan Wenlian, was diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer and given only months to live. Hoping future medical advances might one day bring her back, Gui chose to have her body cryopreserved after she was declared clinically dead. The process made Zhan — then in her late 40s — widely recognized as the first person in China to undergo full-body cryonic preservation.

Gui signed a 30-year agreement with the Shandong Yinfeng Life Science Research Institute, which partnered with Qilu Hospital of Shandong University on early experimental preservation work. After Zhan’s death, her body was infused with protective chemicals and stored in a liquid-nitrogen chamber kept between –190°C and –196°C, a multi-day procedure scientists said at the time offered hope — but no guarantees. Experts widely maintain that reviving a fully preserved person is not currently possible.

In recent weeks, Gui has come under fire online after revealing he has begun a relationship with Wang Chunxia, an acquaintance who gradually became his caregiver and emotional support as he dealt with health problems and the daily realities of living alone.

Gui told reporters he cares deeply for Wang but insisted she has not “entered his heart” the way Zhan did, describing the companionship as partly “utilitarian.”

His comments sparked intense debate on Chinese social media, with some accusing him of betraying his late wife. Others defended him, arguing that after years of grief and isolation, Gui deserves companionship and stability.

Gui admits he remains torn. He has publicly said he worries about the moral and even legal implications of moving on — including whether remarriage could one day be considered bigamy if cryonics were ever to advance enough to revive someone preserved decades earlier.

The renewed attention has brought cryonics — a controversial and highly experimental field — back into public discussion in China and beyond. While the technology aims to preserve bodies until future science can potentially restore them, mainstream researchers stress that such revival remains speculative.

For Gui, the debate is deeply personal. “I can’t live alone forever,” he has said in past interviews, while also expressing unwavering devotion to the memory — and the preserved body — of his late wife.

As his story continues to unfold, it’s prompting many to reflect on what loyalty, hope and grief look like when love meets rapidly evolving science.