4 days ago
Modern caveman? 35-year-old man ditches work grind to live in a cave, calls marriage a ‘waste of time and money'
Escaping the Grind
A Life of Solitude, Self-Sufficiency, and Social Media
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In the heart of China's Sichuan province , far from city lights and office cubicles, a man has carved out a radical new way of life—quite literally. Meet 35-year-old Min Hengcai , who has been living in a self-fashioned cave for the past four years, turning his back on modern expectations , societal pressure, and what he calls the 'myths of productivity and love.'According to South China Moaning Post, once a ride-hailing driver earning a respectable 10,000 yuan (US$1,400) a month, Min left behind the chaos of city life at the end of 2021. He abandoned not just his job but also the treadmill of debt, social obligations, and emotional expectations that he says made life feel hollow. Instead, he returned to his hometown and swapped his ancestral land for a smaller plot that came with one unique advantage: a has since invested 40,000 yuan (US$6,000) to make the 50-square-metre cavern livable. He calls it his "Black Hole"—not out of despair, but as a declaration of cosmic perspective and a reminder of his own insignificance in the grand scheme of wakes at 8 a.m., spends his days reading, walking, and tending to vegetables he grows himself, and sleeps by 10 p.m. His needs are minimal, and expenses limited to essential items. He says this is the life he dreamed of during his grueling workdays in the city, where he once toiled ten hours a day to repay family his journey into reclusion has also earned him a growing digital audience. With over 40,000 followers, Min shares glimpses of his cave life via livestreams—though critics question if true solitude can coexist with internet his anti-capitalist lifestyle didn't provoke enough debate, Min's views on marriage certainly did. He believes the institution is not only economically burdensome but statistically futile in delivering love. 'The probability of finding true love is very low. Why would I want to work hard for something so rare?' he asked in a recent interview with Sichuan this statement struck a chord—and a nerve—online. Many have called him a modern philosopher, a living embodiment of the tang ping movement, China's quiet rebellion against relentless hustle culture. Others, more skeptical, argue he's simply opting out rather than facing story is dividing the internet. Some hail him as a visionary who's transcended materialism. Others see a man running from reality, hiding behind a lens even as he critiques modern life. But whatever the judgment, one thing is certain—Min Hengcai is living life on his own terms, in a cave he calls home, untethered from clocks, contracts, and he's the ultimate dropout or an unlikely sage, Min has tapped into a growing restlessness with the structures of success. In the shadows of his Black Hole, he may be quietly asking the biggest question of all: what does it really mean to live?
