Tidying up after a passing

A boy, named Ao Mulin, was featured in the documentary. His father died but he has kept his father's cellphone. Ao's mother keeps the tea set her husband used, which reminds her of the moments when they drank tea at home together.

"They are ordinary families but there are many stories that touched me," says Sica. "There are lots of memories though people died already. The things left in the families build a bridge between the people who are still alive and the people who are dead."

The documentary's director Zhou says on her social media platform: "It's an experience of exploring 'what do we leave behind after we die?' It also inspired us to gain a new understanding about life and respect each life.

"It took us over a year to finish the shooting and for those families, the coronavirus pandemic means a great change of their lives."

In April last year, after a forced break because of COVID-19, Sica returned to work and started to consult online. She realized that the pandemic had produced one more side effect: people feeling they needed to use her services because of the clutter that had sprung up or that became worse over the previous three months. Having a comfortable living environment has become all the more pressing for people who were forced to work from home, and for families having to spend long hours together under one roof, to whom the appreciation of the importance of everyday order and comfort has grown.

"It is a good idea to clear your home as a way of clearing your mind. This is an ideal time to tidy up and give some thought to what we have and to be grateful for it," she says.

After her trips to Wuhan, Sica made contact with senior care organizations, hoping to continue her services about arranging items left by deceased people and organizing for senior people.

"Though the idea is not appealing to the majority of people, I am happy to see some changes," says Sica, mentioning a popular South Korean TV drama, titled Move to Heaven, which is about the story of Geu Roo and his uncle, Sang-goo. The two meet after the death of Geu Roo's father and end up running a trauma management business together. When a loved one passes away, a team arrives and clears out the room, collecting up valuables while getting rid of everything else.

"Many people shared the TV drama with me and told me that they are interested in the job," says Sica.