Sim Chi Yin—VII Photo
“There’s an old belief here: In the netherworld, the dead person will keep walking until he’s very thirsty and hungry. There’s an old lady at the end of the walk, selling porridge. The porridge, once eaten, will make you forget everything about the world, your life before death, all your loved ones.
“[My husband] always said to me, ‘no matter how hungry and thirsty I am, I will not eat or drink that porridge. Otherwise, I won’t be able to remember you.’
“I made him promise that he wouldn’t drink or eat it. But thinking about it now, in that place, I think it would not be up to him…”
—Mi Shixiu
Caption information
“There’s an old belief here: In the netherworld, the dead person will keep walking until he’s very thirsty and hungry. There’s an old lady at the end of the walk, selling porridge. The porridge, once eaten, will make you forget everything about the world, your life before death, all your loved ones.
“[My husband] always said to me, ‘no matter how hungry and thirsty I am, I will not eat or drink that porridge. Otherwise, I won’t be able to remember you.’
“I made him promise that he wouldn’t drink or eat it. But thinking about it now, in that place, I think it would not be up to him…”
—Mi Shixiu