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Fran Lu

A Chinese man has sought help from a mobile game to restore the virtual house his late wife built so that he can continue remembering her, moving many people online.
The Beijing man posted under the handle @chuwengeileyan on November 26 that the virtual houses he and his wife built in the game ShanHai suddenly disappeared.
ShanHai is an open-world survival crafting game based on the ancient Chinese mythology Shanhai Jing, translated in English as “The Classic of Mountains and Seas”.

A user can either choose battle mode or build their peaceful, idyllic world in the game.
The man and his wife met in 2019 and married a year later. They began playing the game together during the Covid 19 pandemic, while stranded at home.
They spent a lot of time building their world in the game.
It is common for couples to build bonds in games. Some also find dates in games.
His wife once remarked that they chose a great spot in the game, having enough space to build their houses next to each other and own their own virtual farmland.
She was pregnant with their baby in 2024 and was diagnosed with acute leukaemia while eight months pregnant. She had to go into labour early.

After the third chemotherapy, her condition worsened and she was admitted to hospital.
They sold their flat to support her treatment.
However, her life could not be saved. In April this year, she died from a sudden cerebral haemorrhage.
He said their virtual houses in ShanHai became her only legacy he could remember her by, especially after selling their real life flat.
While working hard to raise their child, the man kept the habit of cleaning up their virtual houses every week.
He posted that he discovered a week ago that both their houses had disappeared suddenly.
Some speculated that their houses might be dismantled by other users, which is possible according to the game settings.
He tried to contact the game’s customer service department but was not answered.

He managed to get his house back but was unable to retrieve hers as he could not log into her account, which requires face recognition.
He then asked for help online.
His post reportedly attracted 10,000 likes and the attention of the game’s developers.
On November 29, good news arrived that the developers had successfully restored his wife’s account and her virtual house.
“He did not just cherish the virtual house but also the time and love his wife spent on it,” said one online observer.
“It is a sad reality that our virtual properties are fragile and can vanish very easily. Maybe we should make our peace with this reality,” said another.
“The game should now just make their houses permanent,” said a third.


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Wife’s pride and joy built in virtual realm disappears after she dies from brain haemorrhage; couple’s real-life home sold to pay medical bills


Wife’s pride and joy built in virtual realm disappears after she dies from brain haemorrhage; couple’s real-life home sold to pay medical bills.


Virtual reality and augmented reality (VR and AR)

China husband seeks help after late wife’s virtual house ‘legacy’ in video game was torn down

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Wife’s pride and joy built in virtual realm disappears after she dies from brain haemorrhage; couple’s real-life home sold to pay medical bills

Wife’s pride and joy built in virtual realm disappears after she dies from brain haemorrhage; couple’s real-life home sold to pay medical bills