This Chinese man has been living in a village alone for 10 years
Ever wondered if you'll be able to survive in a village lone ranger-style except for a few sheep as companions? Sounds impossible, but that's what Liu Shengjia has been doing for a decade.
Liu makes up the one-person population of Xuenshanshe village in northwest China's Gansu province.
You May Also Like
According to Liu, there used to be at least 20 families living in the same village, but they had started to relocate when natural resources became scarce and people started dying from old age.
By 2006, Liu found himself left alone to care for his bedridden mother and younger brother. Within a year, the last of his surviving relatives passed on and Liu was the only person left behind.
Left to his own resources and with a few sheep to rear, Liu learnt to survive on his own and get used to the solitude.
"In the beginning, I wasn't able to sleep at night while listening to the howling of the wild dogs," Liu told People's Daily. "But after I started to tend a few sheep and they've become my companions, I slowly got used to living alone."
Liu also works as a temporary forest watcher for the local forestry protection station to make ends meet. He earns 700 yuan ($107) a month at his job.
Due to the remote location of his village, Liu has to travel far to fetch water and purchase food, reported CCTV News.
"Surviving here is not a problem for me, but I still prefer to move to a more populous area when the time comes," he said.
Despite the loneliness, Liu told reporters that he saw some positives to having the village to himself -- he could choose whichever house to live in, most of which still contained stuff that belonged to its previous owners.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
