A 95-year-old Chinese woman shocked her neighbours by climbing out of her own coffin six days after apparently "dying".
Li Xiufeng, from the village of Liulou in Guangxi Province, had been found lying motionless and not breathing on February 17 about a fortnight after tripping and hitting her head, The Huashang news website reports.
A neighbour who was caring for her assumed she had died in her sleep.
"She didn't get up, so I came up to wake her up," neighbour Chen Qingwang said.
"No matter how hard I pushed her and called her name, she had no reactions."
He said she appeared to stop breathing but remained warm.
Following local tradition, Ms Xiufeng was put in a coffin on February 19 but kept inside the house for a few days so friends and relatives could pay their respects.
According to another tradition, her possessions were also burned.
But on February 24, the day before the funeral, Mr Qingwang and his son found the coffin empty.
"We were so terrified and immediately asked the neighbours to come for help," he said.
A neighbour then went into the kitchen and found Ms Xiufeng making porridge.
"I slept for a long time. After waking up, I felt so hungry and wanted to cook something to eat," she said.
"I pushed the lid for a long time to climb out."
The Huashang quoted a doctor from a local hospital saying that Ms Xieufeng had been in a state of "suspended animation".
"Thanks to the local tradition of parking the coffin in the house for several days, she could be saved," the doctor said.
The government and neighbours have since given Ms Xieufeng clothes and other items to replace the burned possessions.
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