An elderly son in eastern China followed local customs by lying on his late mother’s bed to comfort her soul, only to contract a severe illness.

According to the mainland media outlet, Hongxing News, the man surnamed Chen, who is in his 60s and from a remote rural area in Zhejiang province, is an only child.

His mother, 86, had been in good health and worked in the fields everyday.

However, following this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival, she died unexpectedly after a bout of diarrhoea and vomiting.

Grief-stricken, Chen followed local customs by sleeping on his mother’s bed for several days.