Here is a cryptically brief news item entitled “Man Prefers Simple Life Alone in Wild,” from the Beijing China Daily web site. URL: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-04/06/content_431689.htm. It is short enough to reproduce in full here.
Man prefers simple life alone in wild
A 58-year-old man in Tonglian County of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has enjoyed life as castaway in the mountains for nine years, the Nanguo Morning News reports.
The recluse began his way of life when he discovered that his long absence in the village made the village authorities forget his existence.
Yang Genlin decided to live in the remote mountains, eating wild vegetables and mushrooms at a small paddy in the woods.
Yang said being alone both at home and in the woods is preferable to him. He’d rather continue his life in the mountains befriending birds in the trees and frogs in the bourn.