In light of the soccer team and their coach successfully being able to escape the flooded cave in Thailand, I decided that it would be the perfect time to share some information on just how many people in China are still willingly living in caves. According to the Los Angeles Times, it is reported that over 30 million Chinese call caves, or yaodong (窑洞) in Chinese, their homes.
This trend of living in caves began just about two millenniums ago and has an extremely important role in Chinese history. Many famous leaders took refuge in caves. Nowadays, this particular form of earth sheltered dwellings is common in the Loess Plateau in China’s north, especially in the Qinyang region. Yaodongs carved out of a hillside are the most general type.
Current yaodong residents are not planning on moving out any time soon, meanwhile more and more people are wanting to move into the caves for its coziness and simplicity. In an article from the New York Daily News, a man named Chen Wei said that, “It’s like living in a villa. Caves in our village are as comfortable as posh apartments.” Not only is it an easy lifestyle, the soil is also easy to dig up to create more openings for people to live in. The soil can also be used for some excellent farming!
Apparently, these underground settlements are super modern and up to date with all of the latest technologies. For example, some of them even include plumbing, electricity, and running water. It’s also extremely energy efficient, even though these homes are literally dug into the side of a mountain. Did you know that some of these homes even have high ceilings and a front yard?
When my friend recently visited Costa Rica and stayed in a treehouse, I was hoping that my next hotel stay would be in a treehouse as well. Now, I feel as if I may have have had a change of heart. Perhaps a cave hotel would be just as fascinating, if not more?
Sources:
- http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/30-million-people-china-live-underground-caves-article-1.1046872#
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaodong
WOW! This article was so fascinating! Over 30 million Chinese people live in caves. This article makes me think that our society maybe too advanced. Would people flourish more in a simpler life style? The caves also play a big role in Chinese history and caves were one of the earliest human architectural forms. Although living in caves might come as a shock to us, it is not so uncommon. There are people living in caves in India and Spain as well.
It’s so interesting that over 30 million Chinese people currently live in caves! It was shocking to read that these caves have plumbing, electricity, and running water. Living on the side of a mountain seems dangerous to me, but I love how they use their surroundings to help them live. For example, soil is dug up to make room for more people and is used for farming. The pictures gave me a very nice visual of the caves’ interior. These underground settlements provide a simple lifestyle, so I’m not surprised more people want to move into these lavish homes.
I had no idea about any of this so thank you for sharing Hitomi! Not only that, but many famous leaders have lived in caves. It is interesting to hear that it is getting more and more popular because it is easy to farm on and expand for more room. Additionally, I can’t believe that some of them have running water and electricity. It does seem very peaceful there as well; not having to worry about a lot other than what you need. Maybe if I go to China again, I’ll try and check these really amazing places out!