SHANGHAI: A 103-year-old woman in China has died after waiting for the return of her husband for more than eight decades.
Du Huzhen died at home in Guizhou province, in southwestern China, on March 8, according to an obituary by her family which did not detail a cause of death.
Before her death, the centenarian held an old pillow cover in her hand which she used when she got married in 1940, said her family, the Shanghai Morning Post reported.
Du was three years older than her husband Huang Junfu.
Soon after their marriage, Huang joined the Kuomintang army and left to fight in battles across the country.
In 1943, Du found Huang and stayed with him as he did his military service until she fell pregnant and returned home.
She gave birth to their son, Huang Fachang, in January of 1944. Days after their son’s birth, Huang Junfu returned home to deal with his mother’s funeral.
Not long after, Huang Junfu left home to return to the army and never returned.
He did send letters, but the last one was written on January 15, 1952.
“For Fachang’s education, you should let him attach importance on studying no matter how poor the family is. There will definitely be some time for our reunion,” Huang said in the letter.
The paper he used indicated he was working at a Chinese construction company in Malaysia.
During her husband’s absence, Du supported the family by doing farm work during the day and weaving straw sandals and cloth in the evening.
She refused other proposals of marriage, saying “what if he returns some day?”
“Grandma is illiterate and she lived a hard life. But she was always optimistic,” Du’s granddaughter Huang Liying was quoted as saying.
“She told my father and us siblings to study hard and to make contributions to the country and the society when growing up,” added the granddaughter.
Huang Fachang became a middle school teacher in the late 1970s after competing with hundreds of other applicants. He died in 2022.
Documents from a government department of Zunyi county which deals with overseas Chinese affairs showed that Huang Junfu settled in Malaysia in 1950 before moving to Singapore several years later.
The authorities said they had no more information about him.
Du’s family said they had tried various means to search for Huang Junfu, including posting notices in newspapers and hiring foreign agencies, but all were in vain.
Granddaughter, Huang Liying, said Du appeared to be at peace when she died, as if she saw a vision of a reunion with her husband.
She said her family will continue to fulfil Du’s wishes and try to find Huang Junfu and his descendants. - South China Morning Post
