A Chinese-Canadian influencer revealed she spent 5 years pretending to be her deceased twin sister to shield her extended family from additional heartbreak. Annie Niu, who gained viral fame on TikTok years ago, recently shared a video detailing the complexities of her situation.
Niu explained that her twin sister tragically passed away years ago from viral meningitis. However, to spare their elderly grandparents from grief, the family chose to maintain the illusion that her sister was still alive during their calls.
Annie Niu spent 5 years impersonating her late twin sister during phone calls with her grandparents.
Recently, Annie Niu shared an emotional video of herself crying, her eyes red and puffy, with the caption: “You finally told your family that your twin sister passed away five years ago, and they took down every single family photo that had her in it (which is pretty much every photo in their home).”
The post left many of her followers puzzled, prompting Annie to upload a follow-up video to explain the situation in detail.
“I didn’t tell my grandparents and extended family that my sister passed away,” she began. “It was my dad’s decision. This past July, my grandma passed away, and on her deathbed, my dad told her that my sister had passed and was waiting for her on the other side.”
She went on to explain, “I think he didn’t want to withhold this information anymore, but he also wanted to avoid causing them heartbreak. And, God forbid, they’re 92—anything could happen.”
Annie’s actions were a huge sacrifice for the sake of her family’s serenity and wellbeing.
Annie revealed that her grandfather, who is still alive, remains unaware of her twin sister’s passing.
After the family shared the news with others, her aunts chose to remove every photo of her late sister from her grandfather’s house.
“So imagine my surprise when I take my kids to go visit my grandpa, and I look on the walls, and none of our photos are there,” Annie said.
Annie’s grandmother didn’t know of her granddaughter’s passing until moments before her own death. Annie posted another video and captioned it, “My grandma is with my twin now. We finally told her the secret we’ve kept for 4 years before she passed away.”
Niu and her sister grew up in China and moved to Canada with their parents around 10. They lived apart from their grandparents and other relatives in China, which made the white lies easier.
The young woman showed many family photos of her and her twin sister, all of them representing the atmosphere of immense love and happiness. Annie revealed that she and her twin sister had always been the favorite grandchildren in the family.
Unsurprisingly, people were quick to ask a flurry of questions.
“Didn’t they ask where she was for five years? I’m so sorry and so confused,” wrote one user.
“Can I ask why they took the photos down? Is that normal or customary? If this question is offensive, I’m so sorry, not my intention. Sorry for your loss ❤️” asked another.
A third recalled a similar experience of theirs, writing, “I understand why you didn’t tell them, I have elderly grandparents too, and we’ve done the same thing. I’m sorry for your loss, I would love to hear some stories about her when you’re ready❤️”
One more person shared their own story, pointing out their understanding of the real reasons why Annie pretended to be her twin sister. The user wrote, “My grandpa was 90, his only son died a year ago from cancer — he finally asked us why his son doesn’t visit 😭 He finally asked us is he dead…. My grandpa passed away a month or so later after.”
Others, however, were a little less understanding.
“This is so messed up, everyone deserves to know, and she deserves to be remembered,” commented a netizen.
“Why would your dad do that to your grandma on her deathbed 😭” someone questioned, where another user replied, “Selfishness.”
Some users even came to important life conclusions while watching the series of videos Annie posted. One person confessed, “I can’t stop rewatching this. I am not on good terms with my sis. I need to drop my ego. Life is too short.”
Annie’s case is not one of a kind, and it’s actually a common practise for China.
Netizens in China noted that Annie’s situation reflects a common practice in Chinese culture, where it is considered ominous for parents to outlive their children.
As for the removal of photos, some explained it could be an effort to avoid stirring up sadness.
Similar incidents have surfaced in China recently. In December, a 38-year-old woman from Guizhou dressed like her late mother, who had passed away six months earlier, to comfort her grandmother suffering from Alzheimer’s.
In another case from March, a man in Liaoning used artificial intelligence to impersonate his deceased father during video calls to prevent his frail grandmother from learning the truth.
And here’re 7 celebrities, who had some huge heartbreaks in the past, but they shared how they got over their personal tragedies and misfortunes and cured their broken hearts.
