Entrepreneur wants 'death experience' venue to raise discussion about life

Huang Weiping, founder of Hand in Hand, an NGO that provides terminal care services, is planning a death experience venue. Photo: Courtesy of Huang Weiping

Huang Weiping has played many roles: successful businessman, psychological consultant, and NGO director. But after the Chinese New Year, he will be playing a new role: the God of Death.

The founder of Hand in Hand, an NGO based in Shanghai that provides hospice services, is building a "death experience" venue with a partner, complete with a 4D furnace that simulates heat when bodies are being "burned."

Huang accumulated a great deal of wealth in his time as a businessman, but over time, felt unfulfilled and wanted to do something different. In 2008, when the Wenchuan earthquake struck, he went to the area as a voluntary consultant.

Seeing death in Sichuan prompted Huang to think seriously about mortality. He established Hand in Hand and started providing terminal care services to cancer patients in Shanghai. Currently, his focus has shifted to building a venue to help people start thinking about death.

The awakening

Playing dead at the venue begins with leaving a will as part of a group. Then the group goes through a door, which symbolizes death. After that, visitors are transferred one by one on a conveyor belt to a furnace. In a silent, closed environment, a "fire" starts burning.

After the "burning," visitors see a simulated image of a womb, projected onto the ceiling. Then they hear heartbeats and see a light, which indicates the exit. After visitors crawl out of that exit, they find themselves in a pure, white space, indicating rebirth.

Huang planned the entire process with his partner Ding Rui. They think this best represents the experiences of death and rebirth. Currently, the venue is still under construction, although the idea has been brewing for a few years.

In order to design the 4D furnace, Huang and his partner lied down in a real one at the Shanghai funeral home.

Before going into the furnace, Huang said his heart pounded fast. He could only tell himself not to panic. The conveyor belt squeaked as it took him inside the furnace and darkness engulfed him. Then the fan started blowing inside the furnace and ashes blew all over his face.

Huang thinks such experiences will at least get people thinking about life and death.

"Right now, many avoid talking about death. That's the culture in this society," he said. "We hope to provide an environment where people can have the opportunity to explore for themselves the answer to such questions."