China policeman acts as couple’s dead son for a decade to comfort ailing mother
Officer spends time with grieving couple at Chinese festivals, communicates regularly on social media
A police officer in eastern China has acted as a couple’s late son for 11 years, offering comfort to the paralysed mother and forming a deep bond beyond blood.
In 2003, Xia Zhanhai and his wife Liang Qiaoying, who live in Shanxi province in northern China, lost their son in a gas leak accident.
The tragedy also left the mother paralysed and cognitively impaired, with the mental capacity of a five-year-old.
The son’s death weighed heavily on Liang, so Xia soothed her with a lie, saying their son was working in a distant city.
At one point Xia saw Jiang Jingwei, a police officer from Shanghai, on a TV programme and noticed his striking resemblance to their late son.
