For years, residents at the foot of Cangshan Mountain in Dali, Yunnan, have often seen Zhao Dian carrying a 15 kg backpack and wearing worn-out shoes bought for 80 yuan at the market.

Zhao's "home" is a red canvas tent riddled with holes, leaking whenever it rains. He eats two meals a day, one of which is a free vegetarian meal from a temple. His total monthly living expenses are capped at 100 yuan (approximately 350,000 dong).

Observing this scene, few would imagine Zhao is a "second-generation rich" individual from Shanghai, actively escaping an affluent lifestyle.

Zhao Dian working as a gardener. Photo: QQ

Zhao was born into privilege. His father is a successful construction materials entrepreneur. The family's Shanghai villa features a private elevator. His parents frequently fly to England for golf. Zhao himself holds three master's degrees from universities in China, Australia, and France, and previously interned at financial corporations in Paris.

However, Zhao carries a "defect": he feels indifferent to money and the formalities of the wealthy. He grew tired of luxurious travel and found it bothersome when girlfriends insisted on specific perfumes. Instead of socializing at parties, he preferred talking with gas station attendants.

"While studying abroad, each time I ran out of money, I would ask for 10,000 AUD. My biggest expense was buying designer bags for my girlfriend; I slept on a sofa in our shared living room", Zhao recounted.

Zhao (left) and friends during his study abroad years. Photo: QQ

His sense of alienation peaked when Zhao worked in Paris. He fell into depression, isolating himself to play games for three months. A turning point came when he took a dishwashing job at a Chinese restaurant. Standing at the sink for 11 hours daily, his body was exhausted, yet his mind achieved a state of "extreme peace".

"I never expected dishwashing to be so enjoyable. You have no worries, focusing only on the clean plate in front of you. That's the 'flow' feeling high-paying office jobs never provided", Zhao stated.

In 2023, he returned to China, undertaking various manual jobs from room cleaning to toilet scrubbing in Chengdu before choosing a nomadic life in Dali. There, Zhao established a new routine: early to bed, early to rise, quitting smoking and games. He works one to two hours daily, stopping once he earns enough for food.

Zhao's tent. Photo: QQ

To maintain his freedom, Zhao adheres to a principle of not keeping much money. Recently, feeling uneasy about having "too much" when his account accumulated a few thousand yuan, he gave it all to a homeless friend. "I need poverty to stay clear-headed", Zhao said as he carried two buckets of water to irrigate plants on the mountain.

For this master's degree holder, freedom means being able to take off his shoes and lie down anywhere without fear of judgment. "When I don't have money, I don't have to agonize over which kind of milk tea to choose; instead, I think about the price I'd have to pay for it. And that price is something I don't want to bear", he concluded.

Bao Nhien (According to QQ, 163)