Touching story of how a devoted husband, 84, has taken care of his paralysed wife for 56 YEARS

A humble husband from a small Chinese village has demonstrated the true meaning of dedication after taking care of his bed-ridden wife for 56 years.

Du Yuanfa, a farmer living in the village of Sunjiayu in east China's Shandong Province, quit his job as a coal miner to look after his wife Zhou Yu'ai day and night after she became paralysed in 1959, reported the People's Daily Online.

Du, 84, and Zhou, 76, had been married for just five months when Zhou was struck by a mysterious disease at the age of 20 and lost the ability to move her body.

At the time, Du was working in a coal mine in the nearby Tai'an city.

He was informed of the tragic news in a letter sent by his family, which contained a brief message: 'Your wife is sick and bed-bound.'

Du immediately took a long leave from work and returned home. There, he saw his new wife lying in bed, incapable of doing the most basic things for herself.

He said Zhou's whole body was stiff and she could not turn. She wasn't able to hold objects in her hands and had to be spoon-fed meals.

Determined to have his wife cured, Du put her in a wheelchair and took her to numerous hospitals for consultations.

The diagnoses was unanimous: Zhou lost the ability to reproduce and would be bed-ridden for the rest of her life.

Du said many of his friends told him to annul his marriage and start a new life, but the devoted man refused.

He told his wife: 'Don't worry. I will care for you forever.'

Afterwards, Du quit his job in order to look after his sick wife full-time.

The couple live in a stone-built home with simple furnishing. Du does everything personally, from boiling the traditional Chinese medicine to changing his wife's bed pan.

Du is always on the hunt for possible cures for his wife too. Whenever he hears of a herbal recipe, he will go into the mountains to find the ingredients; making sure he tastes the medicine before giving it to his wife - in case it is poisonous.

His dedication has moved his neighbours in the same village, who often come with life necessities, groceries and medicines for his wife.

The local authorities have also listed the couple as the recipients of charity offers.

Day and night, Du has cleaned, fed and massaged his wife, and the incredible love lasted for nearly six decades.