中國夫婦隱居嶗山 實踐自給自足生活方式

In a modest-looking dwelling shrouded by greenery halfway up one of the highest mountains in eastern China, a young couple have been conducting an experiment in self-sufficiency for about five years.

在中國東部一座高山的半山腰上，綠色植被掩映着一個不起眼的住處。在那裏，一對年輕的夫婦開展自給自足實驗已有大約五年的時間了。

On Lao Mountain, in coastal Shandong Province, Tang Guanhua, 26, whose family runs a design company, and his wife, Xing Zhen, 31, a former securities manager, have been surviving by their own wiles, producing everything from shoes to electricity.

在濱海省份山東的嶗山，從做鞋子到發電，這對夫妻全靠二人之力爲生。丈夫叫唐冠華，26歲，家裏經營設計公司；妻子邢振31歲，曾經是證券經理。

Dressed in their homemade attire, the couple pointed to shelves loaded with bottles of home-brewed vinegar, jars of salt collected from evaporated brine and an enormous bamboo contraption leaning against the wall, held together with rope, that they use to weave clothing. One inspiration is John Seymour, a British advocate of self-sufficiency who spawned a movement half a century ago.

穿着自己縫製的衣服，夫婦二人展示了架子上一瓶瓶自家釀製的醋、一罐罐海水蒸發後採集的鹽，還有倚在牆上用繩子固定起來的一個巨大的竹製織布裝置。鼓舞他們的包括英國人約翰·塞默(John Seymour)。他倡導自給自足，半個世紀以前發起了這項運動。

But getting to this point has not been ing up in Qingdao, a port city that thrives on tourism and high-tech development, Mr. Tang, a self-described city boy, believed that “everything could be bought with money,” and he said he had no idea about “the difference between lettuce and rapeseed, wheat and rice.” Before he started renovating the once-shabby brick hut he rents from local farmers in 2010, Mr. Tang said he had been aware of the hardships he might face and tried to prepare as best he could.

他們的嘗試走到今天這個地步並不容易。唐冠華在以旅遊和高科技發展著稱的港口城市青島長大，自稱是個城裏孩子，以爲“任何東西都可以花錢買到”，還說自己以前根本不知道“生菜和油菜之間、小麥和稻穀之間有什麼區別。”2010年，唐冠華從當地農民那裏租來了一座破舊的磚房。他說，翻修工作開始以前，他預料到了自己會面臨困難，所以盡力做好了準備。

Yet he was still overwhelmed by unexpected difficulties. Without gas and kitchenware, Mr. Tang and several volunteers ate raw peppers for supper. Without a bathroom, they dug pits in the yard until there was no space for more.

即便如此，意料之外的種種難題仍讓他措手不及。沒有燃氣也沒有廚具，唐冠華和幾名志願者生吃菜椒當晚飯。沒有衛生間，他們就在院子裏挖坑，直到無處可挖爲止。

“Not until then did I figure out how to cope with it,” said Mr. Tang, referring to the challenges of disposing of human waste. Within a year, he had built a bamboo septic tank, finished the renovations and begun growing vegetables like Chinese chives and lettuce.

“到了那時候我纔想出辦法，”提到處理人體排泄物的挑戰時，唐冠華說。一年之內，他用竹子做了一座化糞池，完成了翻修工作，開始種植韭菜和生菜等蔬菜。

At first, Ms. Xing, who had gotten to know Mr. Tang before he embarked on the self-sufficiency project, was bewildered by it. But as she visited the site on Lao Mountain, she was inspired by his enthusiasm and that of the volunteers who flocked there.

在唐冠華開始自給自足實驗之前，邢振就認識他。一開始，她對此很不理解。但在參觀了他在嶗山的這片地方後，她因爲唐冠華及涌向那裏的志願者的熱情而受到了鼓舞。

“They were passionate and genuine, unlike other people I had seen who easily gave up their ideas without giving them a try,” she recalled.

“他們充滿激情，真心誠意，不像我見過的其他一些人，不試一下就輕易放棄了自己的理想，”她回憶道。

Unlike Mr. Tang, Ms. Xing had not previously imagined herself as a back-to-nature pioneer. After studying economics for five years, she took the 9-to-5 job that was expected of her. A slim, bespectacled woman who can frequently be found updating a blog on the couple’s work, Ms. Xing described herself as a “mainstream girl” who always followed the crowd. “I didn’t know how to think independently,” she said.

和唐冠華不同，邢振之前從沒想過自己會成爲“迴歸自然”的先鋒。在學習經濟專業五年後，邢振開始了一份符合期望的朝九晚五的工作。她外形纖瘦，戴着眼鏡，經常在博客上更新夫婦兩人的進度。她形容自己以前是個“隨大流的姑娘”，總是從衆。“我不知道該怎麼樣獨立思考，”她說。

After the couple married in 2011, Ms. Xing quit her job in Qingdao, mostly because she wanted to spend more time with her husband. But after a year living with him on Lao Mountain, she had “an awakening.”

2011年兩人結婚以後，邢振放棄了在青島的工作，主要是希望有更多時間陪在丈夫身邊。不過，與唐冠華在嶗山居住一年後，她“覺醒”了。

“It was like an epiphany,” said Ms. Xing. “I suddenly realized that all I did before was try to fit into a widely acknowledged value system that I didn’t even fully understand.”Having secured their shelter, the couple took the challenge to the next level. They visited scholars and handicraft masters to learn how to brew vinegar, soy sauce and beer, how to knit clothes, raise poultry and make cooking utensils and soap. They converted a bicycle into a generator and built a washing machine, a solar panel and a small wind turbine.

“好像頓悟了一樣，”邢振說。“我忽然意識到自己以前所做的一切都是爲了融入一個衆人接受的價值體系，而我根本不理解那套東西。”有了安身之處，夫婦二人更進一步。他們拜訪了學者和手工藝師傅，學習如何釀造醋、醬油和啤酒，如何紡線織布，如何飼養家禽，如何製作器皿和肥皂。他們將一輛自行車改造成了發電機，還造了一臺洗衣機、一塊太陽能電池板，以及一臺小型風機。

With help from nearby university students, the couple spent more than two years building a second hut, two stories high, with bamboo, rocks, clay and recycled building materials.

在附近大學生的幫助下，夫婦二人花了兩年多的時間用竹子、石頭、泥土及二手建築材料建成了二層樓高的第二座棚屋。

“I think the local farmers could have finished it within two weeks,” Mr. Tang said.

“我覺得當地農民的話不到兩週的功夫就可以造完了，”唐冠華說。

As word of the couple’s project spread, local farmers shook their heads in disbelief, curiosity-seekers flocked to see them, and critics began piling on. During a talk show appearance on China Central Television, the state broadcaster, celebrity guests mocked them for “challenging modern civilization,” accused them of “being delusional” and ridiculed them for not being able to host their parents during holidays. Even friends were confounded.

隨着夫婦倆的項目流傳開來，當地農民搖頭表示懷疑，好奇的人羣蜂擁而至，批評浪潮也隨之襲來。對此，官方媒體中央電視臺的一檔訪談節目還進行了報道。受邀來到節目中的名人嘲笑他們“挑戰現代文明”，指責他們“癡心妄想”，譏諷他們沒法在節假日招待父母。就連他們的朋友也頗爲困惑。

Contrary to the critics, Mr. Tang and Ms. Xi say the purpose of their project is neither to promote an ascetic lifestyle nor to throw away the fruits of modernization. Instead, they say, it is simply to explore an alternative for those who don’t fit into modern urbanized society.

與批評聲相反，唐冠華和邢振表示，他們這一項目既不是爲了宣揚一種苦行的生活方式，也不是爲了拋棄現代化的成果，而只是想爲無法適應現代都市社會的那些人探索出另一種生活方式。

“When I first came up with the project, I hoped it would be a plan to solve the social issues I was concerned about once and for all,” Mr. Tang said.

“當我第一次提出這個計劃的時候，我希望它能徹底地解決我所關心的一些社會問題，”唐冠華說。

Encouraged by his parents, Mr. Tang had come up with the idea of opening his own business while he was still in high school. After he made some money as an advertising designer and an event planner for shopping mall openings, he dropped out of high school and was taken by wanderlust.

在父母的鼓勵下，唐冠華在高中時就提出了創業的想法。他當過廣告設計師，爲商場開業活動做過策劃，從中賺了一些錢後便從高中輟學，之後迷上了旅行。

“It was the traveling that changed my perception of the world,” said Mr. Tang, a tall, lean man with straight hair and an unassuming manner.

“正是四處行走改變了我對世界的看法，”唐冠華說。他身材高瘦，留着直髮，爲人謙遜。

In places like Macau, Mr. Tang witnessed the booming of commerce and entertainment, but also human greed and hypocrisy. “It got me wondering about the purpose of my life and if I’d like to be someone like that,” he mused.

在澳門這樣的地方，唐冠華目睹了商業和娛樂業的蓬勃發展，但是也看到了人性中的貪婪和僞善。“這促使我思考自己人生的意義，考慮自己是否想要成爲那樣的人，”他若有所思地說。

At 18, Mr. Tang was influenced by an artist friend and started expressing his societal concerns through street art and photography. But after realizing that none of these efforts had a lasting effect on other people’s awareness, Mr. Tang, with the help of friends, came up with the idea of building a self-sufficient community. To cover some of the expenses, he set up a nongovernmental organization to accept donations, though contributions from individuals must be no more than 1,000 renminbi, about $160.

18歲的時候，唐冠華受到一名藝術家朋友的影響，開始通過街頭藝術和攝影來表達自己對社會問題的關切。但是後來，他意識到這些努力對他人觀念方面的影響並不持久。因此，在朋友的幫助下，唐冠華提出了建立一個自給自足社區的想法。爲了墊付一部分開支，他成立了一家接受捐助的非政府組織，但是規定個人的捐助額不得超過1000元人民幣。

“This is not a project built up by money,” Mr. Tang said. “If you have the ability to donate that much money, we prefer you to donate real things, like building materials and recyclable things, or come join us to experience the project yourself.”

“這不是一個靠金錢支撐起來的項目，”唐冠華說。“如果你有能力捐很多錢，那麼我更希望你能捐一些實物，比如說建築材料、可回收利用的物品，或者是和我們一起來親身感受這個項目。”

He later named the experiment Project AnotherLand and set out a number of steps for achieving his goals.

後來，他把這項嘗試命名爲“家園計劃”，併爲實現自己的目標設定了一系列的步驟。

The first, to determine whether it was possible to live self-sufficiently, appears to have been largely achieved by his experiment on Lao Mountain. The second, to expand the project’s scale with more people, will come later this year when the couple build a larger community in Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian Province. Other steps include sharing their experiences with urban dwellers and publishing a self-sufficiency guidebook, which is in the works.

第一步是要確定自給自足是否可行。通過他在嶗山的實踐，這一點似乎基本實現了。第二步則是擴展項目規模，吸引更多人蔘與其中。這一步將會在今年晚些時候進行，夫婦二人屆時會在福建省會福州市建立一個更大的社區。其他的步驟則包括，與都市居民分享他們的經驗，以及出版一本自給自足指導手冊。這本手冊目前正在撰寫中。

An increasing number of people are already paying attention. Yang Haitao, a student at Ocean University of China in Qingdao, is one of thousands of volunteers who have come through in recent years. During a recent visit, he said he had learned to make soap from waste oil, grow vegetables and knit shoes.

有越來越多的人已經開始關注到他們的項目。在位於青島的中國海洋大學讀書的學生楊海濤（音），就是近些年裏參與到該項目當中的上千名志願者之一。近期來到這裏的時候，他談到自己學會了如何利用廢油製作肥皂，如何種菜和納鞋。

“If there is a larger community like this in the future, I think I’ll sign up for it,” Mr. Yang said.

“如果未來能有一個類似的更大規模的社區，我想我是會參加的，”楊海濤表示。

More than just build a community for his peers, Mr. Tang said his goal was to help future generations decide whether they want to live off the grid.

唐冠華表示，他的目標不只是爲同齡人建立一個社區而已，他還想要幫助後代決定，他們是否想要過上不依賴現代設施的生活。

“I won’t have kids until I have built a self-sufficient community,” Mr. Tang said. “Maybe my kids will prefer to live in the city. But at least I want to offer them another option to choose from.”

“在建好一個自給自足的社區之前，我是不會要小孩的，”唐冠華說。“或許我的孩子會更喜歡住在城市裏，但是至少我想要給他們提供另一種可選的方式。”