Country roads take me home to the mountains

Zhang Zhiwei built a log cabin with his own hands in the remote mountains in southern Hubei province. Provided to China Daily

Young professionals on a rural trail, as urban dream sours

More and more young Chinese people who work hard and play by the rules are getting increasingly frustrated with rising home prices and high financing costs.

Angry at being priced out of the urban dream, many of them are now planning to exchange their fast-paced lifestyles for the slow-paced and less demanding life in the countryside or hills.

That the trend is fast catching up was evident when a couple's search for their dreams in the mountains turned out to be a resounding success in the virtual world.

Giving up a comfortable life in a luxurious villa in a town in Hubei province and an annual income of more than 1 million yuan (110,000 euros), the young couple decided to settle in the remote mountains, says a recent report in the Hubei-based Chutian Metropolis Daily.

Regardless of his father's opposition, the 29-year old Zhang Zhiwei moved to Xiaotiankeng in southern Hubei to start a new life with his wife and 1-year-old baby in June last year.

Zhang's pastoral life in the countryside, details of which are posted by himself on Tianya.cn, has caught the attention of nearly 900,000 netizens over the past three months.

"I had always dreamed of living in the mountains. Scenes from American dramas of log cabins, dogs, jungles and fields of flowers were embedded in my memory from childhood and it was about time that I did something to realize my dream," Zhang says in his post.

But as Zhang admits it was not an easy task. Used to modern comforts like electricity and the Internet, it was a tough act to replicate similar facilities in the remote hinterland. "Setting up electric wires and network cables were the first priority for me," Zhang says.

He admits that leading a pastoral life does not necessarily mean giving up on all the essential comforts.

Though not skilled in carpentry, Zhang has managed to construct a log cabin in the forest with his own hands. And he has rented 405 hectares of forestland on which he has a goat and poultry farm.

Zhang says that he has invested nearly 1 million yuan in the mountain and expects to make substantial profits at the end of the year by selling most of his goats. He does not plan to sell the chickens and will use their eggs as food and distribute the rest to friends.

One of the advantages of such an existence is the fact that it keeps the family together in sunshine and rain, says Zhang. His wife is his constant companion at work and the couple find enough time to relax and live the moments together.

He, however, admits it was a difficult decision to break away from a successful life as a goat farmer. Coming from a rural area in Zhejiang province and later moving to Liujiayao town in Songzi, Hubei province, Zhang started to sell goats with his father in 2000. Zhang's family had annual income in excess of 1 million yuan from the business and had built a luxurious villa in the town.

In 2008, Zhang's wife stumbled upon Xiaotiankeng when she trekked to the mountains in search of azaleas (flowering shrubs). Surrounded on three sides by mountains, the region had no inhabitants for dozens of square kilometers. Since then, the couple made several visits to the region.

The pull of the mountains became stronger after a son was born. The idea of living on the mountain gained more strength as the couple wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life. They were obsessed with the dream of growing their own vegetables, drinking clean spring water and leading a healthy life in the mountains.

"There are so many others who think like me. However, they are unable to leave their successful careers and wealth," says Zhang in the post.

Gao Shan, a 25-year-old white-collar worker from Beijing echoes Wang's views. "It takes courage to give up a successful career and pursue your dream. Zhang had the financial backing and willpower to do so. I am happy for him, but not too sure whether I would be able to take such a decision."

Despite the bouquets and brickbats Zhang has decided to be in the mountains for some time. While this may or may not spark off similar migrations, it does drive home the point.

Several other young couples have, however, found a path that gives them the best of both worlds. Many young couples now chose to work for five days in the city and embark on weekend getaways to indulge in pastimes that keep them close to the nature like camping, tree planting, and mountain climbing.

China Daily