Woman Poses As Her Dead Twin Sister For 5 Years To Spare Family Heartbreak
For five years, Niu mimicked her sister’s voice during phone calls with her grandparents.
By Sukhbir Cheema — 26 Dec 2024, 03:03 PM
Annie Niu, a Chinese Canadian lifestyle influencer, has left the Internet stunned with her emotional revelation
In a recent TikTok video, Niu shared that she had kept the death of her identical twin sister a secret from their elderly grandparents in China for five years.
The 34-year-old explained that her decision stemmed from cultural sensitivity and a desire to protect her family from heartache.
Niu's sister tragically passed away from viral meningitis, but the influencer chose not to inform her grandparents, both in their 90s, fearing the news would be too devastating.
For five years, Niu mimicked her sister's voice during phone calls, preserving an illusion of normalcy for her unsuspecting family
This continued until her grandmother's passing in July, when her father's poignant words on her deathbed — "Your granddaughter will meet you in heaven" — compelled Niu to confront the truth.
The family's reaction was stark. Upon learning of her sister's death, they removed all photographs of Niu from their home.
While some netizens criticised the deception, others empathised, citing cultural practices where grief is often shielded from the elderly to prevent further emotional or physical harm.
Niu's video, which has garnered over seven million views, sparked a larger conversation about familial obligations and the lengths people go to preserve peace
Similar stories from China, such as a woman dressing as her deceased mother to comfort her grandmother with Alzheimer's or a man using AI to impersonate his late father, highlight a shared cultural ethos: sparing elders from pain, even through elaborate lies.
Niu's confession sheds light on the intersection of familial love, cultural traditions, and the moral complexities of shielding loved ones from the harshest truths.
Her story, though divisive, resonates deeply across borders.
