21-Year-Old "Retires", Leaves China's Rat Race For Life In Mountains

A 21-year-old man in China has "retired", leaving behind the grind of city life and settling in the hills of Guizhou. A CNN report said that Liu Youwen left his hometown Xiaxixiang, in Guizhou province, three years ago for the city of Shantou in Guangdong, China's richest province. He tried to survive in the city but couldn't find a job since he was a high school dropout. Liu eventually worked as a car mechanic, then a construction worker, and finally at a clothing factory.

In 2022, he decided to leave everything behind and returned to the hills near his hometown. He faced opposition from his family, especially his brother, but Liu told them he wanted a "simple life" and to escape the high-pressure rat race.

"In the factory, I used to work from 8am to 10pm plus overtime, my time was not my own. Now I get to wake up to the sounds of birds chirping," Liu told CNN.

But he is facing struggles of the mountain life.

First was the problem of electricity. Liu overcame that by installing solar panels around his house. Worried about his safety, especially at night, his family installed CCTV cameras around the house.

Liu was inspired by Chinese vlogger and influencer Li Ziqi, who posts videos about rural life, amassing 18 million subscribers on YouTube. Liu too uploads weekly vlogs of his days in the mountains.

Some of Liu's videos show him building a pig pen and interacting with his two pet dogs named Lucky and Flower, said the CNN report. He also grows vegetables like cabbage and garlic and also shares videos of dishes like sweet potatoes.

Liu said he never feels lonely since he has access to television, and his animals also keep him company. The 21-year-old has amassed a significant following online, with 350,000 likes combined across his social media accounts since September.

Liu is the latest to join the "lying flat" ("tanging" in Mandarin) movement in China, which exploded in popularity among the youth in 2021. It calls on them to reject social pressures to work hard, get married, have children and buy property.

"Life in the mountains is much better than city life - even drinking water costs money in the city," he said.