Escape city life shackles: China woman with master’s degree ditches convention to live with partner, child in mountain mud hut
- Woman with master’s degree from Holland worked in well-paying job in Shanghai for 8 years
- Beyond lifestyle shift, her ‘open’ relationship with partner sparks significant debate online
A woman in China is at the centre of a lively online debate after she gave up her white-collar lifestyle in Shanghai to move to a rural region and live in a mud hut.
Gu Yue, 35, had earned a master’s degree in Holland and worked in a well-paying job in Shanghai for eight years before moving to Yunnan province in southwestern China four years ago, where she lives in an open relationship with her partner and their infant daughter, according to Yitiao Video.
Gu met her partner, Yang Shu, when she decided to make the radical lifestyle change and realised she needed a partner with survival skills to help her handle the challenges of living in a wild area.
She found Yang, who is six years her junior, through her friends’ contacts. He was born and grew up in a village in Yunnan.
“I told him that I can date him and be his life partner, but I will never get married,” said Gu.
They live in a mud shack with no electricity and have to do everything by themselves. Their sole income derives from a 10,000 square metre orchard in a valley, where they plant fruit and vegetables.
“We cook using wood and a fire and do everything at a rather slow speed here,” said Gu.
Their daughter was born last year, with Yang helping Gu deliver the baby at their mountain home.
“On rainy days, we just sing and dance in the house. When it is sunny, we spend most of our time working in the orchard, we take the baby with us,” she said.
Beyond the lifestyle shift, Gu’s “open” relationship with Yang sparked significant debate online.
The couple sleep in different rooms, divide household chores and are financially independent from each other.
Gu said because Yang contributes more labour in caring for the orchard, he receives more income from the revenue it generates.
Yang, who said he wants a stable marriage, admits he is a bit confused about their non-binding partnership.
“The so-called ‘open relationship’ she proposed is not clear to me. But I am willing to do what she wants, and we are still exploring the details regarding the baby,” said Yang.
Gu said: “I have my own space and he has his. My plan is that as the baby grows up, I will be more independent and will develop my own career. I don’t want to have a boyfriend in the future.
“I even encourage Yang to date more girls since I think that would be fair for him. I am his first girlfriend. Can I expect him to have only one girlfriend his whole life?” asked Gu.
She said that for now they are focused on raising the baby, adding that she hopes they will be good friends in the future and establish separate families.
Gu did not explain who would get guardianship of the child upon any future split.
The woman’s unconventional lifestyle has become a sensation on mainland social media, with many people disagreeing with her choices.
“She is selfish and irresponsible. Her choice of experiencing all sorts of lifestyles only aims to please herself,” wrote one person on Weibo.
“Everyone has his or her own lifestyle. It’s alright as long as you are happy with it. But have you considered your kid’s future?” asked another online observer.
Another said: “It’s fine to live an idyllic life in the forest. But I am stunned to see that she delivered the baby at home with poor sanitary conditions. It is too risky!”
