Real-Life Hidden Paradise，A Man Living Alone in a Cave for Decades

Cave This is a remote mountainous region in Hubei's Lichuan County Deep within these towering cliffs we unexpectedly discovered a house built right against the rock face They say you live off the mountains you rely on and the waters you depend on yet right inside this cave someone has actually been living for decades From the wilderness the place appears extremely secluded Surrounded by dense layers of trees it resembles the secluded abode of a legendary hermit and even more remarkable is its beautiful scenery filled with the songs of birds and the fragrance of flowers Truly a secluded paradise untouched by the outside world The most knowledgeable locals say a gay uncle still lives inside the cave Since the time of his parents' generation A family has lived in this cave for nearly a century After his parents passed away the vast cave now holds only him living a peaceful secluded life in the wilderness So the question arises: how did he manage to live alone in the cave And where did his water supply come from Follow our camera now as we take you into the life of Uncle in his cave Hello everyone I'm Xiaoxue Today we've arrived at Lichuan in Hubei Province Deep in these mountains beneath a cliff cave there stands a house built right underneath And surprisingly someone actually lives inside it We're utterly curious about who exactly would choose to live in such a unique environment and now we're heading over to visit one of the residents This place is truly extremely hidden You see from the outside there's nothing noticeable But when you look closely you'll notice a house beneath the surface Everyone this is the spot right here because there's a small hill in front of their house which just happens to block their home Here are some enclosures suitable for raising pigs cattle and chickens though they're not currently in use Here lives Uncle Yang who lives alone in this cave leading a self-sufficient peaceful life detached from the world Let's talk to Uncle again in a bit His side features various building materials—adobe stone and purely wooden structures over there So this house of yours the exterior walls were also重新 purchased right I personally removed those planters and did it myself Oh you did it yourself Take your time with it Oh just did a bit of exterior renovation that's all Doing it this way makes it look much better Oh so it looks nicer now huh Is this a two-story or a single-story building Two stories high two stories high right in front of Uncle's door with many boxes and barrels piled up—I counted six or seven of them Uncle even keeps bees Here there's a wooden barrel at first I thought it was used back then for bathing But after I asked my uncle he said this one is used for holding water There's a wooden crate here though it's unclear what it's for Here there's a corridor leading downward Open sesame Oops this sesame isn't opening You come you can do it It's so spacious here all of a sudden Here a shed has been supported by this wooden frame According to Uncle when he was young he raised many cattle and pigs Over here is an old artifact This one my uncle calls it a windmill but back where we're from we refer to it as a blower That's what it's for—to scatter dust This is where Uncle keeps his cattle a cattle pen Look here He doesn’t keep any now as he can’t manage alone he mainly works as a laborer in the forest these days This area is used for raising pigs Let's take a look at this house Over here there's a stilt house It's a fully wooden structure The house is in surprisingly good condition the wood has never been replaced And it's also a two-story structure perhaps because the cave interior is relatively dry Because it's sheltered from the wind and rain sunlight can shine through keeping the wood dry at all times which is why it has been preserved so well Now let's go have a chat with Uncle Getting on the right track means continuously delivering goods and also delivering vegetables If you're on the right track you keep delivering vegetables It's easy for the flame to go out if you're not careful This cave is where this uncle lives His surname is Yang Uncle you've been working here for many years We've been here for at least forty or fifty years Fifty years So where did you start from We started from there too Moving up from the old house Bringing things in from outside No we still have our old house We have many brothers as well You have several brothers too We have six brothers Six brothers Which one are you I'm the fifth Six brothers you're the fifth The other brothers are out there now The other brothers are out there some of them are at that distant place Oh some people are moving over at the wild mudflat the wild mudflat The house he's been fixing up outside is the one our uncle just told us about—it's been their family home for generations moved in from your parents' side and lived in for many years decades in fact The story goes back over eighty years Over eighty years So your older brothers born here right Old Five Old Five yes He was the eldest of a household There are many such houses and there are plenty of places too He couldn't sit anymore We bought a house Oh so you moved in here Buy it buy it—yours and your brothers' then split it up those older ones the third brother and the rest—they 're all coming together with my older brother I'll carry it up we'll carry it up too The location is fairly decent mainly because the inside of the cave is quite beautiful right It's just that the access isn't very convenient but looking at it the distance isn't far—only about three hundred meters maybe even less around one hundred meters It's within three hundred meters here—just a narrow path and after exiting it opens up into a main road actually it's quite convenient really I just heard they're going to build a road in here I can't get in so take some meat—nobody else is doing it—back then it was going well that's when you guys called the rickshaws and now the green car has arrived your vehicle My car turns this way and it could spin around until I'm dizzy I just heard my uncle say he really likes this place because my uncle dislikes crowds He likes quiet places Where would the water come from here Pump it Over there On the other side of the gate I didn't close the gate That water You didn't even see inside that hole Uncle where's this water from It was pulled out from the cave at the back—just now Uncle said that someone walked through this cave for seven days and nights and still couldn 't reach the end Wow— That's an old relic I barely recognize anything anymore Old-timers who've lived through it all These relics passed down from one generation to the next That's how they've been handed down Only a few remain He never explains them to you Just old-fashioned oral tradition You've been walking for ages You've been talking about this cave for ages It's you and others We walk for a day and a night You walk for a day and a night Hmm You walk through winter Walking for a full day and night is impressive so the environment must be good too Uncle inside this cave it's warm in winter and cool in summer Even though it's winter now you don't feel the cold at all This stove stays warm even when turned off Where's Uncle He's the one who tends to this stove You see His stove burns firewood When he's not cooking meals He just heats water for use Then when cooking regularly just place it on top—it's very convenient for stir-frying and meal preparation This is the first time making a phone call I saw the telephone pole and just brought it to your home Yes our telephone pole is ordinary—we're just like that We're out on patrol with this utility pole Oh you're out on patrol Yeah we're out on patrol So normally do you go up the mountain to gather medicinal herbs Yes I do Definitely go Hmm heading out to gather herbs What kind of herbs were they originally collecting Well all kinds of herbs really Any kind of herb you can think of you know They're all for sale now Oh selling them Yeah selling them That's the way up the mountain Usually those places are where people go to gather herbs There are wild animals up here now aren't there How big are the wild animals they collect I'm asking how big the wild animals are Are there things like wild boars Sure sure there's some wild boar that won't touch it and those things they won' t touch either—wild animals won't go near it now Is there any farmland out there now Yes there is Outside back where we are roughly Still over there the fields were overcooked—oh right Could wild animals come and eat the crops Wild boars might show up Wild boars stir-fry huh Hmm So where exactly are you growing your crops now I'm not farming right now I'm out doing some forestry work If it weren't for the time I spend driving tourists up the mountain I wouldn't be able to buy any crops Oh Maybe when I was young I moved to Haha I wasn't at home when I was young Oh I wasn't at home back then I was in Guizhou Oh you were in Guizhou the whole time Wuhan too I got there but where have you been in Guizhou I can't recall any specific places in that neighborhood anymore Oh can't remember Yeah it's been so long I just can't remember I noticed inside this cave there was also a place where they used to raise livestock and Uncle must have previously kept cows and pigs there—did you used to raise them You raise chickens and even keep a sow so why don't you just slaughter an old one and be done with it I said hey I'm doing just fine really Oh No one’s taking care of him now that he’s passed away No one’s looking after him You’re going out to make a living I’m still older past my prime You wouldn’t feel at ease That’s right Just kill off the old one and be done with it I haven't been out doing anything probably because it's mostly just my uncle alone he can't manage all that farmland not to mention the livestock now there's none left just a moment ago my uncle was saying He's basically working odd temporary jobs outside right now only coming back here occasionally Today no need to rush for a spot—came back just to find you at home You said you' re usually working outside We were having hot pot with a friend so yesterday my woman couldn't see me Oh you couldn't see me yesterday That's right yesterday I went out for hot pot with her and we arrived at the rooftop restaurant in the morning Oh I left early this morning went straight up to the rooftop Yeah went out to look for work right Same kind of thing here—might even have one in the fridge This is what I bought for the elderly to have at home also since the elderly person is in their eighties or nineties they need to eat things like these Inside the house you're still afraid There are many vegetables in this house I want to try the unfamiliar ones first I'll start with the unfamiliar ones I can manage for a day or two I won't go into the fridge to drink It's scorching outside all day Oh it's still hot in here That's why we still need protection in summer A few days of summer protection is fine Oh it's relatively cooler in summer Don't put those vegetables in the refrigerator It's fine to leave it outside because the inside of this cave stays pleasantly warm year-round—warmer in winter and cooler in summer This place is really great When we came in through the hole outside just now we noticed a pile of firewood stacked nearby Uncle usually gathers firewood from the mountains when he has free time He usually cooks using firewood which is still quite convenient Uncle's family is in a great location with a cave directly above it His house happens to be directly beneath this cave right now when it rains the water can't get in and if it's sunny His sun can actually let in the light and there's still plenty of sunlight You see the one I inserted is slightly off-color but I didn't actually insert an off-color one—just what I mentioned earlier Oh it shouldn't be over the limit no way Not over the limit My part definitely isn't over the limit Won't stones fall down from this opening No stones will fall Just a tiny bit over the limit that's all It falls whenever it rains you know—whenever it rains it drops Yeah when it rains it keeps going for over half a month and once it passes the halfway point it turns incredibly colorful But the house won't have stones falling down don't worry Not at all I'll just pick up some groceries I'll be active this morning and cook something I don't need the screen for this house anymore No one should be coming to grow vegetables now right Oh yes there are still plots over there on the other side of the hill There's still soil available over there Oh I heard our land has around seven or eight mu I'm digging the soil You usually don't eat vegetables you grow right I still grow them though Just give me some good ones to grow He thinks I'm just digging soil because he buys vegetables all the time What kind of vegetables have you been eating lately My place is rural I grow those on the mountain My uncle still focuses on health and wellness He avoids heavy pesticides He only eats this kind I've sprayed pesticides for them I've done it since they were young yes I've done it since they were that young I've done it just like my wife did just like Grandpa did Hmm right he'd only last two or three days at most—I don't let him eat Sure thank you so much Uncle Uncle is really warm and welcoming Let's take a tour around Uncle's house again Behind my uncle's house lies a vast enormous cave and we're planning to explore inside it According to my uncle They the older generation walked for seven days and nights through this cave without ever reaching the end Don't be fooled by the cave 's appearance—its entrance is quite small but inside it's surprisingly spacious We followed a narrow path down along the edge The vegetation here is denser because sunlight can actually reach it otherwise these plants wouldn't be able to grow There are still many corn stalks piled up here when young these stalks can be fed to cattle and when mature they can be used as firewood The inside of this cave is also relatively dry unlike some caves that tend to be quite damp There are two ponds here As soon as you step inside you can hear the steady drip of water falling around you all over the cave's walls the water seeping down from the cliff face above Under this light each water droplet sparkled like a diamond Inside the cave are odd jagged rocks all made up of fragments of varying sizes Has anyone noticed that this cave keeps getting bigger the further in we go There are two more pools here The water in the pool is so clear Here's another one this pool doesn't drip water yet its water flows out from a crack beside it and there's a water-lifting stick placed inside This water is Uncle's primary water source Uncle just brought us in here With so many pools there's no need to worry about water supply This place now looks like a patch of mud—don’t know if we can make it through My goodness look at this massive洞 wall—so huge and breathtaking This is so strange— it looks like one of those wet muddy patches with a little depression but when you actually step on it it's hard and solid the mud isn't sticky at all It should have once been a riverbed with water flowing through it before After the water dried up the mud beneath gradually settled and then dried out completely That's how it ended up looking today There's another pond here My goodness so many ponds This water is truly inexhaustible and endlessly available My goodness look at how deep this is here Looks like you can go down that way Wow guys check this out —guess what I just found Across from us there's actually a city wall Could there have been human habitation here in the past There's another staircase here that leads upstairs It's really a city wall built stone by stone with those kind of blocks This should be a door But it seems its door is gone—only a frame remains What a thick wall this is—feels like it's about three to four meters thick The city wall is incredibly high Some have already collapsed Look at how high its city walls are If its gate were still standing once that gate shuts it would truly have the power of one man guarding the pass against ten thousand Just now I thought I heard Uncle Yang say this place used to be where people hid during wartime These were built long ago by people seeking refuge from war this place is truly hidden We continued walking deeper into the cave There's a large hole ahead This large pit seems to be man-made somehow They must have been people from ancient times who lived here to escape war and turmoil and this place was likely once a reservoir There are also signs of tiling work done here This entire vast area is filled with ruins left behind by people of ancient times Wow Coming all this way and yet you can still keep going There's a dark cave over there There's also one here Inside this large cavern are numerous smaller caves of various sizes If we're talking about exploring caves I doubt I could finish it today Hearing what Uncle just said the older generation spent seven days and seven nights inside this cave and still hadn't made it through That's as far as my abilities can take me and my flashlight's battery isn't enough either So now we're going out through this hole Let's stop here then There's not the slightest chill inside this cave The temperature inside the cave even feels slightly higher than outside I'm feeling a bit warm even wearing cotton clothing walking through here Finally I emerged from inside this hole We've now finished touring this place Overall it's quite impressive It has electricity and internet And it's not lacking in water supply What surprised me the most was There's actually a huge cave right behind this house—what do you think friends Isn't this place exactly the kind of secluded paradise you 've always dreamed of Well that's all for today See you next time bye-bye