When an only child dies, hope evaporates

Project explores ways to provide care and support for parents whose child has predeceased them, reports Shan Juan

After six months of self-imposed seclusion following the unexpected death of her son, Zhang Liying was determined to muster the courage to have another child.

"We need to move on, and a child is necessary for my life," said the 40-year-old from the Baqiao district of Xi'an, Shaanxi province, whose son drowned in 2012 at the age of 20.