Young people are leaving cities for this China commune

Rural communities are becoming sparse, City life is tiring people out, So some have decided to flee the cities, It’s not political, The goal is to be free from societal pressures and expectations, Self-sufficiency, Sustainability and organic farming, Learning a whole new set of skills, One of the hardest parts is making clothes, Food is also a challenge, They gave up small luxuries, It wasn’t viable, but he learned a lot, Community, he learned, was necessary, It’s the difficult work that will communicate their message, Unlocking creativity and independent thought, It will take time

For years now, millions of people have been abandoning rural villages and small towns in favor of China's wealthy, job-filled megacities—but it's a dream that seems to have passed its prime. Young people are tired of elbowing their way up the ladder, and they're disillusioned with late-stage capitalism's material obsession. They want a more fulfilling life where they get to decide what they value rather than having to navigate other people’s values. They want to live in harmony with nature, free of societal pressures and expectations, and they want to become self-sufficient.

“Another Community” is a rural commune in China that is building a way of life very different from a homogeneous, narrow-minded system, and it is welcoming anyone who wants to do the same. Click through to see the inner workings of this ambitious project.

Rural communities are becoming sparse

Rural communities are becoming sparse, City life is tiring people out, So some have decided to flee the cities, It’s not political, The goal is to be free from societal pressures and expectations, Self-sufficiency, Sustainability and organic farming, Learning a whole new set of skills, One of the hardest parts is making clothes, Food is also a challenge, They gave up small luxuries, It wasn’t viable, but he learned a lot, Community, he learned, was necessary, It’s the difficult work that will communicate their message, Unlocking creativity and independent thought, It will take time

In many places around the world, like this creepily resurrected village in Japan, young people have abandoned the countryside for the city, and those with knowledge of the land are dying out.

City life is tiring people out

Rural communities are becoming sparse, City life is tiring people out, So some have decided to flee the cities, It’s not political, The goal is to be free from societal pressures and expectations, Self-sufficiency, Sustainability and organic farming, Learning a whole new set of skills, One of the hardest parts is making clothes, Food is also a challenge, They gave up small luxuries, It wasn’t viable, but he learned a lot, Community, he learned, was necessary, It’s the difficult work that will communicate their message, Unlocking creativity and independent thought, It will take time

So much so, in fact, that there exists a mock prison in South Korea where people pay around US$90 per day to surrender their belongings, submit to strict rules, and stay locked in a cell.

So some have decided to flee the cities

Rural communities are becoming sparse, City life is tiring people out, So some have decided to flee the cities, It’s not political, The goal is to be free from societal pressures and expectations, Self-sufficiency, Sustainability and organic farming, Learning a whole new set of skills, One of the hardest parts is making clothes, Food is also a challenge, They gave up small luxuries, It wasn’t viable, but he learned a lot, Community, he learned, was necessary, It’s the difficult work that will communicate their message, Unlocking creativity and independent thought, It will take time

In the case of Another Community, a rather young bunch (mostly in their early thirties) are ditching the city life and seeking out a much slower pace in a reclusive, mountainous part of southeastern Fujian province, about a two hours’ drive from the capital, Fuzhou.

It’s not political

Rural communities are becoming sparse, City life is tiring people out, So some have decided to flee the cities, It’s not political, The goal is to be free from societal pressures and expectations, Self-sufficiency, Sustainability and organic farming, Learning a whole new set of skills, One of the hardest parts is making clothes, Food is also a challenge, They gave up small luxuries, It wasn’t viable, but he learned a lot, Community, he learned, was necessary, It’s the difficult work that will communicate their message, Unlocking creativity and independent thought, It will take time

Members of Another Community are influenced by environmental and holistic ideals, similar to the monastic Taizé fraternity in France, the ZEGG ecovillage in Germany, and the Tamera peace-research village in Portugal.

The goal is to be free from societal pressures and expectations

Rural communities are becoming sparse, City life is tiring people out, So some have decided to flee the cities, It’s not political, The goal is to be free from societal pressures and expectations, Self-sufficiency, Sustainability and organic farming, Learning a whole new set of skills, One of the hardest parts is making clothes, Food is also a challenge, They gave up small luxuries, It wasn’t viable, but he learned a lot, Community, he learned, was necessary, It’s the difficult work that will communicate their message, Unlocking creativity and independent thought, It will take time

They aimed to create a place where people can live a life they actually want—and to give people a chance to explore what that might be, without constantly being told what it "should" be.

Self-sufficiency

Rural communities are becoming sparse, City life is tiring people out, So some have decided to flee the cities, It’s not political, The goal is to be free from societal pressures and expectations, Self-sufficiency, Sustainability and organic farming, Learning a whole new set of skills, One of the hardest parts is making clothes, Food is also a challenge, They gave up small luxuries, It wasn’t viable, but he learned a lot, Community, he learned, was necessary, It’s the difficult work that will communicate their message, Unlocking creativity and independent thought, It will take time

Largely inspired by British environmentalist John Seymour's 'The Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency' (1976), Another Community aims to live in harmony with nature, and to be self-sufficient regarding electricity, food, clothing, soap, etc.

Sustainability and organic farming

Rural communities are becoming sparse, City life is tiring people out, So some have decided to flee the cities, It’s not political, The goal is to be free from societal pressures and expectations, Self-sufficiency, Sustainability and organic farming, Learning a whole new set of skills, One of the hardest parts is making clothes, Food is also a challenge, They gave up small luxuries, It wasn’t viable, but he learned a lot, Community, he learned, was necessary, It’s the difficult work that will communicate their message, Unlocking creativity and independent thought, It will take time

None of the commune members had farming experience, but they’ve learned how to harvest different vegetables, observe the weather, assess the soil, and much more.

Learning a whole new set of skills

Rural communities are becoming sparse, City life is tiring people out, So some have decided to flee the cities, It’s not political, The goal is to be free from societal pressures and expectations, Self-sufficiency, Sustainability and organic farming, Learning a whole new set of skills, One of the hardest parts is making clothes, Food is also a challenge, They gave up small luxuries, It wasn’t viable, but he learned a lot, Community, he learned, was necessary, It’s the difficult work that will communicate their message, Unlocking creativity and independent thought, It will take time

Members enrolled in classes to study things like agriculture, forestry cultivation, natural farming, sewing, and how to safely work with electricity.

One of the hardest parts is making clothes

Rural communities are becoming sparse, City life is tiring people out, So some have decided to flee the cities, It’s not political, The goal is to be free from societal pressures and expectations, Self-sufficiency, Sustainability and organic farming, Learning a whole new set of skills, One of the hardest parts is making clothes, Food is also a challenge, They gave up small luxuries, It wasn’t viable, but he learned a lot, Community, he learned, was necessary, It’s the difficult work that will communicate their message, Unlocking creativity and independent thought, It will take time

A shirt reportedly takes about two weeks to make, which doesn’t include the time needed to plant, grow, and harvest kudzu, a fast-growing vine. The fiber is then spun into thread, woven into textiles, and then sewn to become a wearable garment. 

Food is also a challenge

Rural communities are becoming sparse, City life is tiring people out, So some have decided to flee the cities, It’s not political, The goal is to be free from societal pressures and expectations, Self-sufficiency, Sustainability and organic farming, Learning a whole new set of skills, One of the hardest parts is making clothes, Food is also a challenge, They gave up small luxuries, It wasn’t viable, but he learned a lot, Community, he learned, was necessary, It’s the difficult work that will communicate their message, Unlocking creativity and independent thought, It will take time

Members still buy things like rice from a nearby organic farm, and they rely on store-bought sauces and meat, which are purchased with savings or donations. They do, however, brew their own herbal liquor.

They gave up small luxuries

Rural communities are becoming sparse, City life is tiring people out, So some have decided to flee the cities, It’s not political, The goal is to be free from societal pressures and expectations, Self-sufficiency, Sustainability and organic farming, Learning a whole new set of skills, One of the hardest parts is making clothes, Food is also a challenge, They gave up small luxuries, It wasn’t viable, but he learned a lot, Community, he learned, was necessary, It’s the difficult work that will communicate their message, Unlocking creativity and independent thought, It will take time

Not many would think of a toilet as a luxury, but flushing water compared to a hole in the ground—with burnt ash occasionally thrown in to cover the smell of feces—truly is a luxury.

It wasn’t viable, but he learned a lot

Rural communities are becoming sparse, City life is tiring people out, So some have decided to flee the cities, It’s not political, The goal is to be free from societal pressures and expectations, Self-sufficiency, Sustainability and organic farming, Learning a whole new set of skills, One of the hardest parts is making clothes, Food is also a challenge, They gave up small luxuries, It wasn’t viable, but he learned a lot, Community, he learned, was necessary, It’s the difficult work that will communicate their message, Unlocking creativity and independent thought, It will take time

Until he learned to make cooking pots, he ate mostly raw peppers. Eventually, the project attracted volunteers who came and made soap, crafted shoes, and installed solar panels and a self-made wind turbine.

Community, he learned, was necessary

Rural communities are becoming sparse, City life is tiring people out, So some have decided to flee the cities, It’s not political, The goal is to be free from societal pressures and expectations, Self-sufficiency, Sustainability and organic farming, Learning a whole new set of skills, One of the hardest parts is making clothes, Food is also a challenge, They gave up small luxuries, It wasn’t viable, but he learned a lot, Community, he learned, was necessary, It’s the difficult work that will communicate their message, Unlocking creativity and independent thought, It will take time

Tang realized he couldn’t become self-sufficient on his own, which is where the idea for the commune came from.

It’s the difficult work that will communicate their message

Rural communities are becoming sparse, City life is tiring people out, So some have decided to flee the cities, It’s not political, The goal is to be free from societal pressures and expectations, Self-sufficiency, Sustainability and organic farming, Learning a whole new set of skills, One of the hardest parts is making clothes, Food is also a challenge, They gave up small luxuries, It wasn’t viable, but he learned a lot, Community, he learned, was necessary, It’s the difficult work that will communicate their message, Unlocking creativity and independent thought, It will take time

Another Community wants to show society that there are many different ways of dignified living, and that lives don’t have to be measured in degrees, incomes, material possessions, or compromise.

Unlocking creativity and independent thought

Rural communities are becoming sparse, City life is tiring people out, So some have decided to flee the cities, It’s not political, The goal is to be free from societal pressures and expectations, Self-sufficiency, Sustainability and organic farming, Learning a whole new set of skills, One of the hardest parts is making clothes, Food is also a challenge, They gave up small luxuries, It wasn’t viable, but he learned a lot, Community, he learned, was necessary, It’s the difficult work that will communicate their message, Unlocking creativity and independent thought, It will take time

With the ability to do what they wish with the land and their time on it, members find they are able to more freely generate their own creative thoughts and ideas.

It will take time

Rural communities are becoming sparse, City life is tiring people out, So some have decided to flee the cities, It’s not political, The goal is to be free from societal pressures and expectations, Self-sufficiency, Sustainability and organic farming, Learning a whole new set of skills, One of the hardest parts is making clothes, Food is also a challenge, They gave up small luxuries, It wasn’t viable, but he learned a lot, Community, he learned, was necessary, It’s the difficult work that will communicate their message, Unlocking creativity and independent thought, It will take time

They’re currently learning all the knowledge they will have to eventually pass on to sustain this commune.

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