China twin hides sister’s death for 5 years by posing as her to avoid family heartbreak
Tragic impression of dead twin sibling over long period to spare feelings of relatives divides opinion on international social media
A Chinese Canadian lifestyle influencer has told of her attempt to hide the death of her twin sister from her elderly family for five years, sparking disbelief from international online observers but understanding from people in China.
Annie Niu, a key opinion leader with 200,000 followers, recently posted a video saying she just revealed to her family in China that her identical twin sister, whose name she did not disclose, died from viral meningitis five years ago.
Niu, 34, confessed in a 2022 video that she had been calling her grandparents pretending to be her sister for three years because their voices were similar.
She continued doing so for her grandma until she passed away in July. On her deathbed, her father told her that her granddaughter would be waiting for her in heaven.
Her grandfather was also in the dark.
After she told her family the truth, they took down all the family photos with her in them. She said nearly all the 17 photos she counted last time were removed, leaving the walls empty.
