Real Life of 50yo Low-Income Chinese Rural Couple
About this video
A 50-year-old couple working low-income jobs in rural China escapes their daily grind with a simple, one-day mountain road trip. They glide on a bamboo raft, discover a quiet waterfall, and cook a warm hot pot by a shallow river, finding peace in the most unpretentious moments. It’s a gentle, unscripted look at how ordinary people recharge after a long month of hard work.
Video transcript
What’s it like to live in China at 50 and take a one-day mountain road trip with my husband? Hi everyone, I’m Shyla, an ordinary 50-year-old woman living in rural China. I got off work early this afternoon. My coworker told me a farmer in the next village has dozens of acres of carrots they’re giving away completely free villagers can go pull as many as they want. Word spread quickly, and people from several nearby villages came over to pick them. The whole field was full of people. Why give away perfectly good carrots? It’s mostly because the
market is terrible this year. The purchase price is so low that the cost of hiring workers to harvest them is more than the money you’d make selling the crop. On top of that, the carrots didn’t grow very well this year. The quality is just average, so they’d fetch even less money. It’s a losing business to harvest them, so the farmer just gave up instead of letting everything rot in the ground. I went over and picked a bunch too. They’re actually all fresh and in good shape — it’d be such a waste to leave them. They’re actually all fresh
and in good shape it’d be such a waste to leave them. Child: Is this good? Even kids on holiday came along with their parents, making the field really lively. People take them home for different uses. Some cook them for their own meals, while others pick whole bags to feed their cows and sheep at home. Since they’re free, nothing goes to waste as long as they get used. Farming is just like this it depends on both the weather and the market. You work hard for months, and might end up making nothing at all. I wonder if you’ve ever come across this
kind of free harvest situation before? Villager: Thank you very much Many villagers drove their own electric tricycles here, loading up full carts of carrots to haul home trip after trip. Right in the middle of it, my husband called — he was already home. My husband is a long-haul truck driver. This trip, he’s been away from home for a whole month. He's been on the road for a whole month straight, barely any time to rest. I hurried back on my three-wheeler, and got home at 7:30 in the evening. How long have we been waiting? After so long on the road,
he looked thoroughly worn out, even his voice sounded tired. On the way back, he stopped at a secondhand market and got a hair dryer and an iron for only 50 yuan, around 7 US dollars. Such a good deal. He’s out driving long-haul trucks all year round. Every time he takes a break or gets home after a trip, he always likes to stop and browse second-hand markets along the way. We live frugally, and he feels really satisfied when he can get daily necessities without spending much money. He earned 8,000 yuan this trip, around 1100 US dollars every penny
from those long, sleepless nights. Long-haul trucking may seem to bring decent earnings, but every cent is earned by sacrificing sleep and wearing out his body. We’re both worn out after a full day’s work, so we decided not to cook at home tonight. We hopped on the electric scooter and headed straight for the small restaurant at the village entrance to grab a meal. We ordered our favorite dishes: a cold plate of peanuts and bean sprouts, a skewer of grilled lamb, plus two big bowls of steaming Henan stewed noodles. The whole meal cost us only 60
yuan, around 8.5 US dollars. Over dinner, he opened up to me about how tough this month-long long haul had been on him. He never complains to me when he’s out on the road. He always bears all the hardship quietly by himself. He struggled with insomnia constantly, going days without a full night’s sleep. It pained me to hear that, so I found a short road trip route on my phone beforehand, hoping to take him out to relax and recharge. We talked it over while eating, and decided we’d leave early the next morning. We’ll just go out for one day, no
need to travel far. It’ll help us unwind, a little one-day break for both of us. Life is just like this — busy and tiring, but always with small little things to look forward to. After all the rushing and hard work, this calm, relaxing evening makes us feel peaceful and content. We got up bright and early the next morning, starting to pack and prepare everything for our one-day road trip. Husband: I'm going to buy some breakfast. Buy some steamed buns and eggs. We packed a box of lamb rolls in advance, planning to cook a simple hot pot for our lunch
out on the trip. This box holds soaked kelp strips and dried tofu sticks. They soak up the broth perfectly and taste chewy and flavorful after boiling. We packed homemade red date corn cakes, perfect as staple food or snacks for the trip, soft and sweet. We also packed a box of fried meatballs, tasty as a snack or boiled in hot pot. We also packed a basket of fresh leafy greens, refreshing and light in the hot pot. All the food supplies were packed up. We had a light breakfast first, with warm milk, boiled eggs and soft steamed buns, light yet filling.
These vegetarian buns were bought from a shop, stuffed with cabbage and mushrooms. They are light and non-greasy, warm and comforting for breakfast. After packing up after breakfast, I gently closed the courtyard gate, and our dog stood watching us without moving. As soon as we drove away from home, my heart felt light and open. Most of the tiredness from these past days melted away. The fuel price is 5.75 yuan per liter right now, about 0.85 US dollars. After filling up the tank, we hit the road again. We rolled down the windows halfway, letting fresh
mountain breeze flow into the car, blowing away all the gloom and tiredness from the past days. We drove two hours and finally arrived, our first stop is to ride bamboo rafts. Green mountains surround us, plenty of boats docked on the river, the bamboo rafts with colorful sheer curtains look lovely. The bamboo raft rental costs 50 Chinese yuan, roughly 7.26 US dollars. No work or rushing today, we can simply unwind among mountains and rivers. My husband stands at the back of the raft, pushing the water slowly, fully relaxed. We left home pretty early, so
right now we’re the only raft on the whole river, quiet and undisturbed. The river water is clear, lined with lush green mountains on both sides, such a soothing view. We’ve been busy nonstop with tight nerves all days, it’s rare to have time to clear our minds. This short time on the water washes away all the tiredness built up over days. After resting a while after rafting, we got back in the car and headed to our next spot. The winding mountain road is lined with steep, green-covered cliffs, layers of green trees stretch as far as we can see,
really soothing to the eyes. How do you relax when you feel tired from work? Get up There's a beautiful view here. We walked down the mountain trail and found a natural waterfall hidden deep in the hills. A huge natural stone arch frames the waterfall. Water tumbles down layered rock ledges, surrounded by thick lush green trees everywhere. Walking on the dirt trail through woods, the plants block all the hot sun. The cool mountain breeze and the sound of running water calm our hearts completely. It’s rare to avoid crowded scenic spots and enjoy this
quiet mountain waterfall all to ourselves, simple and soothing. This beautiful mountain waterfall area is littered with camping trash—foam boxes, plastic bags and disposable tableware scattered everywhere. Such lovely natural scenery is ruined by all this rubbish, it’s really upsetting to see. After riding the bamboo raft and seeing the mountain waterfall, we found a clean riverbank to make our lunch here. We set up the folding table above the shallow water, stepping the stools into the cool stream, a perfect cool cooking spot. The shaded stall here
costs 30 yuan (around 4.36 US dollars). The water is boiling, first pour the mushroom soup base packet into the pot. This delicious mushroom soup base will make our meal taste incredibly fresh once we add ingredients later. Cooking a warm mushroom soup right by the river, with cool mountain breeze blowing, simple and soothing. While the mushroom soup is heating up, we cut the cantaloupe we brought to cool off first. No rush, no daily chores to worry about, just having a nice meal with each other, simple yet extremely happy. Kids run around with water
guns in the shallows, adults chat while standing in the stream, the whole riverbank is full of laughter. The best summer pastime is hiding deep in the mountains, with cool water and breeze, spending the whole day slowly. we brew a pot of light tea to cut the grease. It’s half past five in the afternoon, we pack all our belongings and head back home. This one day away from daily trivialities heals all the tiredness built up from busy life. Our one-day mountain trip has come to an end here. I’m truly thankful to every single one of you who watched all
the way to the end. I wish everyone watching can put down busy work and find a beautiful spot to unwind someday.
