Have the time of your life: Virtual cremation offers death ‘experience’

It’s probably not for the faint-hearted, but an attraction in Shanghai is offering people the chance to 'experience death and rebirth’. They lie down in a mock-up cremation chamber as simulated flames pass over them. Participants then make their way through a small circular hole to experience 'rebirth’ and join their friends. One person who took part in the simulation in the Chinese city was Lu Siwei. He said: “This is a really interesting feeling. It at least gives you the chance to calm down, and brings you back to earth to think about some of life’s problems. I think this (feeling) is different.”

When you walk through that door, you will experience some changes in your mentality, and it will be different from what it was before you entered. I think this is really great, and very worthwhile.

Participant Lu Siwei

Another participant, Ji Ruoxing, said: “At the moment when everything is completely black, the feeling was really realistic. Especially at the beginning, when I was sitting inside that room, and the door opened, I could hear the noise inside and was a little scared. And then when I went inside, I thought it was all right." The organisers say people facing death find it a "complicated and difficult task” to say goodbye. They claim the attraction is about educating people on life “so as one approaches the moment just before they face death, they don’t have to think about these problems constantly”.

death experience