Cuban model honors father at Great Wall of China

Lisandra Silva, a Cuban model and television host, traveled to the Great Wall of China with a portion of her father Carlos Silva Sánchez’s ashes, fulfilling a dream he held before his death on July 18 at age 77.

Silva, originally from Havana, shared the experience on Instagram, saying she was completing a personal goal and adding another “stamp” to her passport.

She imagined her father beside her as she stood on the wall, recalling his sense of humor and envisioning his happiness. Silva interpreted the appearance of a large, brightly colored butterfly during her visit as a sign of her father’s presence. Her father had wished for her to take his ashes to the seven wonders of the world, and the Great Wall marked the sixth wonder Silva has visited in his memory.

Before traveling to China, Silva spent time at a Buddhist monastery in the Shaolin mountains, training in martial arts with monks. She explained that her father had encouraged her to pursue this activity as a way to process her grief and “transform the energy” surrounding his passing. She also publicly thanked two people who helped coordinate the trip and overcame an earlier issue when an urn she ordered was stolen, though it did not contain any ashes at the time.

Silva previously visited Cuba to lay flowers at her parents’ graves, demonstrating her ongoing mourning.