The baby's mother, Lu Xiayun, was just four months along in her pregnancy when she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen and went into labour.
He Yong rushed home to retrieve the body - and was horrified to discover that his mother-in-law had already buried her
When her husband arrived home, he found his wife - and what he thought was a stillborn baby in a pool of blood.
Paramedics called to the scene asked for the baby, but He Yong told them that his wife had suffered a miscarriage.
MUM SLICES MAN'S PENIS FOR MOLESTING HER BABY
Lu was taken to hospital and, shortly afterwards, her mother buried the tiny baby under a tree in the garden.
But doctors at the hospital insisted that they would have to see the newborn to confirm she had actually died because they thought there was a chance she had survived despite being born premature.
He Yong rushed home to retrieve the body - and was horrified to discover that his mother-in-law had already buried her.
He went out into the garden and dug up the baby as quickly as possible.
And, as he lifted the newborn out of the ground, the grieving father got the shock of his life - she was still breathing, and had survived being buried alive for two hours.
The baby was rushed back to the hospital, where doctors discovered that Lu had been six months pregnant, not four months. Despite being underground for two hours, the baby girl survived.
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Doctors took care of the newborn at the hospital and she survived. However, after three days of care at the hospital, He ran out of money to pay hospital bills and the baby was discharged.
"My mother-in-law has chronic diseases and I also have a 7-year-old daughter," He said.
"My wife doesn't have a job. I am the only one who works."
But, amazingly, the Chinese media picked up the story and soon people began sending money to the family in a bid to help them with their miracle baby.
As a result, the family has since been able to return the child to the hospital for further treatment - and the little girl is now thriving.
Read more: Woman wakes up from the dead - after being put in morgue for 11 hours