In 1995, she was declared dead and was moments away from cremation, but a funeral home worker noticed her foot move; today this China woman is an award-winning artist

In 1995, Chen Cuiju, then an 18-year-old factory worker in China, was mistakenly declared dead. Chen was just moments away from being cremated when a funeral home worker noticed a slight movement in her foot.

Nearly three decades later, she has rebuilt her life to become a nationally recognised traditional Chinese painter. Her extraordinary journey of survival and resilience has drawn widespread attention online.

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A poor teenager who left home in search of work

Chen Cuiju, now 49, grew up in a poor rural family in Guizhou province and left home in 1995 for better job opportunities. She travelled to Dongguan in Guangdong province to work in a factory and support her family.

According to the Guizhou Metropolitan Daily, the long working hours and harsh conditions left her severely malnourished. One day, while suffering from a fever and walking alone beside a river, Chen suddenly collapsed and lost consciousness.

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She was mistaken for a corpse

Several days later, a boatman found Chen lying on the riverbank. She was covered in dirt, barely breathing and had no identification documents. Believing she was an unidentified body, authorities sent her to a funeral home.

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In July 1995, as funeral home worker prepared to cremate her, he noticed a slight movement in one of her feet and realising she was still alive, he immediately informed the police. Chen was rushed to hospital, where doctors fought to save her life.

Doctors refused to give up on her

Doctors diagnosed Chen with severe malnutrition, dehydration and multiple organ failure. Despite no money and identification, the hospital continued her treatment and even covered the medical expenses.

After spending more than three months in intensive care, Chen finally regained consciousness and slowly recovered. Chen's miraculous story quickly spread across the country.

People she had never met came to visit her in hospital, while many others wrote letters offering words of encouragement. Some strangers even offered her jobs, hoping to help her start a new life.

A mentor who saw her potential

Among those deeply moved by her story was painter Chen Zhonglian. Chen Zhonglian invited Chen to Jinhua in Zhejiang province to study painting and offered to pay for both her education and living expenses.

Explaining why he wanted to help, he said that if she had a skill and knew how to support herself, perhaps such a tragedy could have been avoided.

In 1996, Chen moved to Jinhua with her younger brother and began living in her mentor's studio.

Overcoming trauma through art

Chen struggled with painful memories of the incident and battled low self-esteem after some people considered her to be "bad luck." Her mentor encouraged her to spend time with classmates, helped her recognise her artistic abilities and motivated her to enter painting competitions.

Slowly, Chen began believing in herself again.

From survivor to award-winning artist

In 1999, Chen won her first major painting award, marking the beginning of her successful career in the art world. She later specialised in traditional Chinese painting and continued to receive recognition for her work.

Speaking about his student, Chen Zhonglian said she has "a rich inner world, delicate emotions and remarkable insight."

Over the years, Chen's paintings won dozens of awards at national and international exhibitions.

Several of her artworks were collected by art institutions, and she was eventually recognised as a national first-class artist in traditional Chinese painting.

In June 2006, Chen returned to Dongguan to personally thank the funeral home worker and hospital staff whose quick actions had saved her life years earlier. To mark the occasion, she presented a painting of blooming peonies growing beside broken, withered branches.