A 10-year-old boy in China who lost his mother in a car accident 18 months ago has transferred his love to his aunt who closely resembles his beloved mum, moving many to tears on mainland social media.
The aunt, surnamed Liu, said her nephew, Weiwei, had been constantly video-calling her, because she looks so much like his dead mother.
“I want to see you. You look like my mum,” the grieving child told her.
Liu, 37, said her sister, who was five years younger, died in a car crash on her way to pick up her son from school in November 2022.
The boy from central China’s Hubei province attends boarding school, and when he goes home every three weeks, he uses his father’s phone to call Liu, who is married and lives in the neighbouring province of Hunan.
Liu said whenever Weiwei sees her in person, he overwhelms her with many hugs and kisses because that is what he used to do with his mother.
Weiwei was sent to boarding school because his father was busy with work and caring for his unwell mother.
Liu said Weiwei pretended to be strong in front of adults and seldom expressed his grief, but he once told her he had “cried under the quilt at school”.
Liu and Weiwei’s mother have another sister and the three remain close despite living in different provinces.
In the summer before the youngest sister’s death, the family reunited in their hometown. The siblings had a photo taken of them together while wearing wedding dresses.
Liu said she and her younger sister looked very much alike, and Weiwei had grown particularly fond of his aunt, partly because of that.
After her sister’s death, Liu made the decision to spend summer holidays with Weiwei and celebrate his birthday with him every year.
“Weiwei said he saw his mum in me, and I saw my sister in him,” Liu said.
Liu, who is the mother of a 14-year-old boy herself, said she and her older sister will treat Weiwei as their own son from now on.
Their story was shared on Douyin, bringing tears to many online observers in China.
“We miss our loved ones no matter how old we are, and that is why family matters,” one person said.