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Zoey Zhang

A terminally ill father in eastern China has inspired millions online by teaching his daughter to face death with courage and peace.
A Shanghai woman known online as Dong Sanbai has shared the story of her 67-year-old father, Dong, who loves music, books and fishing.
Born into poverty, Dong worked in a factory as a young man but spent his nights teaching himself Japanese.
His determination paid off when he was accepted into the prestigious Shanghai International Studies University.

After two years working in Japan, he returned home, founded a clothing company and built it into a success.
At 45, he sold his shares and began travelling across the country, living the life he had always dreamed of.
In February, after suffering from diarrhoea for weeks, Dong went to the hospital and was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
In August, his only daughter, Sanbai, quit her real estate job to care for him alongside her mother. She said he endured constant pain and had grown thin and weak.
After several rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy with no improvement, Dong decided to stop treatment. Doctors told him he had fewer than six months to live.

Sanbai said: “My father wanted to live with dignity and quality. We wanted him to keep fighting, but in the end, we chose to respect his decision.”
On October 16, Sanbai shared a heartfelt video on social media showing a quiet conversation with her father about life, death and letting go.
Dong told her gently: “Life is meant to be enjoyed. When fate says it is time to end, there is no need to fight it.”
He smiled as he spoke, calm and almost joyful.
“People think they are afraid of death. But what they really fear is the process of dying. The end of life itself is something completely natural,” he added.
Tearfully, Sanbai responded: “I understand, but my heart still cannot accept losing you.”
Dong comforted her: “Do not be too sad. Just think of me as going on a journey. As long as you keep me in your heart, I will always find my way back.”
He encouraged her to live fully, to dress up, travel and laugh often.
Dong also supported his daughter’s choice not to marry or have children.
“That is a perfectly normal choice. Your life belongs to you,” he said.

Sanbai said she had learned to accept life’s impermanence, but she still held a quiet hope for a miracle that would let her father stay a little longer.
In her latest video, she took him out for a drive and to take some photos.
Their story has touched many people online, attracting more than 25 million views on mainland social media.
One online observer said: “Dong is such a brave and wise father. Most people cannot face death so calmly, but he fears his daughter’s sadness more than death itself.”
“Death is just another journey. As long as you do not forget him, he will live on forever,” said another.
While a third person said: “Respect to this open-minded father. Such a great man is surely blessed by the gods.”


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