China policeman acts as couple’s dead son for a decade to comfort ailing mother

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.

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