CHINA: A 32-year-old Chinese computer programmer died suddenly after years of overwork. He even received a work text message eight hours after his death, which has triggered deep anger and reflection online, with many expressing concern as it mirrored their own long working hours lives.
Gao Guanghui collapsed on a Saturday morning in November 2025. His wife, who used the pseudonym Li, said he woke up feeling unwell but still wanted to work. “He said he felt uncomfortable, needed to sit down, and wanted to do some work while he was at it,” his wife said, South China Morning Post (SCMP) reports.
His condition worsened on the way to the hospital as he convulsed and lost consciousness. Doctors later pronounced him dead that afternoon. The Guangdong Second Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital said the cause was a sudden heart attack. Overwork was cited as a possible factor.
Li said Gao logged into his company’s work system five times that day. While he was being rescued after he collapsed, his chat account was even added to a new work group. And eight hours after his death, another urgent task was assigned to him. Authorities said the company involved is now under investigation.
In the days before he died, Gao often returned home after 9.30 at night. Li said this became routine after his promotion to team leader in 2021. She shared chat records showing her asking him to come home late at night. He often refused. He told her the workload was heavy. He said he wanted to work alongside his team. “If I could turn back time, I would force him to quit his work,” Li said.
Gao’s story hit many readers harder because of his past. He moved to Guangzhou from Henan as a child. He collected rubbish on the streets for pocket money. During college, he worked part-time to pay his expenses. At 16, he wrote in his diary: “My destiny and difficulties push me to grow up. I need to work hard and harder.”
He later married Li, who was also his schoolmate, but the couple had no children.
Friends described him as responsible and kind. One classmate recalled how Gao once chased down a bag thief with others. Photos later confirmed the story.
His death also reopened debate about China’s work culture. Technology firms are often associated with the “996” schedule, which involves working from 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week. While labour laws limit hours, enforcement remains weak. Many on social media said jobs with two full rest days are hard to find, and reactions to Gao’s death were direct and personal.
“It is so sad that he worked until the last moment of his life. No job is worth that,” one person wrote. “This responsible man can finally get some rest,” another said. “A company that can only profit from its employees working overtime should just go bankrupt,” a third added.
For many, Gao’s death was a tragedy and a warning about where unchecked work culture can lead. A 2021 study by the World Health Organization (WHO) also found long working hours raised heart disease deaths by 42 per cent.
