Shandong villager holds own funeral to see how many mourners will show up to the real thing

Earlier this month, in the Shandong town of Sanzhuang, a 66-year-old villager held a funeral to mark his own passing -- someday in the future -- just to see how many people would show up.

As it turns out, more than 40 people cared enough to show up to his mock funeral, with the numbers inflated by intrigued residents of neighboring villages.

 Born on January 19, 1950, Zhang Deyang made his living selling products in the salvage industry. In 2015, he helped fund a 26,000-yuan project that built a road connecting his village to the outside world, making it easier for fellow villagers to get their goods to market, NetEase reports.

However, due to a myriad of unspecified "family troubles," neither him nor his siblings ever succeeded in establishing families.

With no offspring, it seems like the approval and loyalty of his fellow villagers is pretty important to Zhang, and he decided to put friends and family to the test.

While being prepared for one's own death is commendable, holding a lavish ceremony just to see how much one is liked may strike many as a bit vain, but heck, it is his life and his money.

Still, he could have at least invited a few strippers for some added entertainment.

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