We six friends, all of us millennial
We work and live on the farm
As I imagine it
It is an adult’s doghouse
A place one can really relax
The farm is located in the Xinchengzi Town of Miyun District, Beijing
From here you can see the Simatai Great Wall
It’s 120 minute drive from Dongzhimen
When I was in school in Italy
I saw many big stone farm in Sicily
Really primitive
Pruning olive and lemon trees
Getting all sweaty
There was a swimming pool, quite shallow one
I dived in without taking off the clothes
Back at home, I really want to recreate that way of life
Where you can be your true self
After I left a state-owned enterprise
I rummaged through my friends
Three guys and three girls
Some were still single
Some were encountering a period of confusion in their career
Frankly we were adrift
Then I talked them into this
The farm is right in the middle of the village
The entire contract area is about 20 mu
The building and the yard together cover an area of over 1000 square meters
The lease is for 20 years
A core yard
Consists of a bunch of stone houses
Kinda like an independent castle
The hall is made of 600mm thick stones
And the floor height is about 6 meters
Each place makes a small scene
Sometimes it’s book, sometimes it’s wine
Sometimes it’s some ceramicware
We want to make a small living room in the big mountain
We designed a lot of the furniture
There is a wooden bed-like thing
Improved Luohan bed
The couch is my design, about one-meter-long
You can lie comfortably on it, just hang out
Through two particularly thick wooden doors
It’s our guest room area, only 7 rooms
Like a farmhouse
There is a terrace from which you can see the Great Wall
In winter we'd make dried flowers into bouquets
And put the fragrant bouquets in the rooms
The arcade is our dining room
The six of us often each occupies one archway
To get some rest
The edible garden
Everything is edible in here
Flowers are edible
An organic kitchen garden
The piece is planted by us and local farmers
Pick vegetables in the field and make salad
Foodwaste is composted
In the mountains in the back, we have about 8 mu of orchard
No chemical is used, we completely follow the organic principle
Apples are small, but they are sweet and appley
Homemade dried apple
Apple cinnamon tea, and apple sauce
We dare not to say that we have any accomplishment in organic farming
But through our effort
To offer the experience of a healthier lifestyle
There is a lawn on the top of the hill where you can camp
We made it ourselves
The scenery is literally stunning in autumn
Sitting there in a blanket with gluehwein
Is very nice
We all worked in downtown Beijing
After we started this
We stopped renewing our lease in Beijing
Everyone moved in here
And everyone is doing what they do best and love
After starting the farm, I became poorer but happier
We didn’t think about settling down forever
For us, living in the moment is the most important thing
It’s a big model room
Where we showcases everything we want