A 49-year-old woman has become the first to have her body cryogenically frozen in a procedure performed completely on Chinese soil, media reported on Monday.  

Zhan Wenlian, who was declared dead of lung cancer on May 8, underwent the operation at the Yinfeng Biological Group center in Shandong Province.

First developed in the US, cryogenics (also known as cryonics) involves preserving an ailing body at extremely low temperatures in the hopes it may be revived and treated in the future.

Zhan's full body is currently being stored at Yinfeng in a 2,000 liter tank of liquid nitrogen, where she is kept at temperatures of -196 C.

Not only is the procedure costly, it requires an additional 50,000 yuan ($7,502) a year for upkeep, according to an employee at Yinfeng.

Before her death, Zhan had agreed to donate her body to medical science.

As Zhan underwent chemotherapy, her husband Gui Junpin applied for the cryonic procedure by donating her body to Shandong University Qilu Hospital, legally qualifying her to undergo the experimental procedure at Yinfeng.

All fees are paid through a fund established by Yinfeng.

Zhan is not the first Chinese to be cryogenically frozen. In 2015, Chinese author Du Hong had her brain preserved at Alcor, the US-based cryonics center where it is currently being stored. 

Aaron Drake, a senior consultant for Alcor, was on hand at Yinfeng for Zhan's cryonic operation in May. 

Science and Technology Daily