Young man quits Rs 1 lakh+ job to live in a cave, says finding true love is hard, marriage 'a waste of time'

Economic Times

a day ago

Min Hengcai, a 35-year-old from Sichuan, China, chose cave life. He left his ride-hailing job and city behind. Min found modern life meaningless. He converted a cave into a home. He grows vegetables and uses social media. Min earns money through live-streaming. He rejected marriage. Public reaction is divided on his lifestyle. Some admire his choice. Others question his isolation.
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From driving to isolation
Life inside the cave
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Rejects marriage and love
Public reaction divided
A 35-year-old man from China's Sichuan province has left behind city life, a steady job, and the pursuit of marriage to live in a cave, according to a report by South China Morning Post. Min Hengcai , once a full-time ride-hailing driver, now lives in solitude, saying he finds modern life meaningless.Min Hengcai worked over 10 hours a day to repay family debts but found no satisfaction in his job. In 2021, he quit his $1,400-a-month work and moved to the countryside, trading a piece of land for a smaller plot with a cave.He spent $6,000 to convert the 50-square-meter cave into a livable home. Despite owing $42,000 to banks, Hengcai has stopped trying to repay it. He said he was deeply disappointed when his relatives sold off his properties.Min follows a quiet daily routine. He wakes up at 8 am, reads, walks, and works on his land, and goes to bed by 10 pm. He grows his own vegetables and spends only on necessary items. He calls his cave a 'black hole,' saying it reminds him of his small place in the world.Despite his isolation, Min uses social media and has gained 40,000 followers. He now earns money through live-streaming. He said the idea of a simple life had always appealed to him.Min has also rejected the idea of marriage. 'The probability of finding true love is very low. Why would I want to work hard for something so rare?' he told Sichuan Television. He described marriage as 'a waste of time and money.'Min's lifestyle has stirred mixed reactions online. Some users described him as 'tang ping,' a Chinese slang for doing the bare minimum. Others admired his choices, calling him a 'true philosopher,' even though he has only a basic education.'This is life in heaven,' one user commented.Still, a section of the public questioned his claims of isolation, noting that he regularly live-streams and gives interviews, which they say goes against the idea of living in seclusion.