Chinese couple Liang Zifu and Li Suing joined forces sixty years ago.
At the time, lacking financial resources and a roof over their heads, they could ill afford to buy a home or even pay rent. So this couple built their family nest in a cave.
Under the rocky vaults, they fashioned a bedroom, kitchen and living space. Over the years, they even lived with poultry and pigs. Their meals consisted mainly of fruit and vegetables. They traded their clothes and other essentials in the neighboring village for meat and eggs.
As the years went by, the family grew with the arrival of their children, whom Li gave birth to in the very heart of the cave. Once the sons and daughters had grown up, they left the refuge and moved to the city, but their parents chose to stay put.
When the provincial authorities became aware of their situation, they offered them an apartment in the town where their children live.
However, the 86-year-old husband and his 81-year-old wife politely declined the offer. They explained that they had become attached to their cave lifestyle over the decades. They cherish the peace and privacy they have found there. That’s why they refuse to break this marital idyll by leaving their beloved grotto.
