My favorite house.. Meet my wife's aunt and uncle. They are magnificent people, and although we don't understand much of what each other says, we get along very well. I always feel so...

Pixeldawg Loc: Suzhou, China

Meet my wife's aunt and uncle. They are magnificent people, and although we don't understand much of what each other says, we get along very well. I always feel so welcome in their home, which is some 700 years old. It has dirt floors, no running water and no heat or air conditioning. I told my wife that if they ever want to sell it, I want to buy it because it is so freakin' cool. It is a hard way to live, but they love it and as far as I can tell, they want for nothing. On the outside of the entrance, they have a garden, where they grow all of their own food. They are devout Buddhists and so do not eat meat. The house once belonged to a wealthy merchant and is quite large, although they only live in a small part of it. One of the sections was previously a Christian church, which I found interesting. And in opposition to what most in the west believe, there is religion in China. In fact, lots of it. Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Tao'ist, Confucianism, Judaism and many others are all here and practiced openly. And again, unlike the west, the Chinese tend to be quite tolerant about other people's beliefs. They are a good example of this, having a Christian church right next door to them.

The reason I am showing this image today is that we found out that this ancient neighborhood is going away. The government is going to tear it down and build more modern homes for the people here. The good news though is that this particular home will be spared and used as a visitor center. In China, we describe people as being "house rich". When the government comes in to rebuild, they are obligated to compensate the owners of the homes that will be demolished, similarly to imminent domain. The difference though is that the owners are not obligated to take the offer, as is so often the case in America. Highways have been literally built around homes here because of this. To make the offer good, the government will typically offer 4-5 other homes to the owner in exchange for the one. So, the owner can rent the homes, give them to family or sell them. China has some of the most expensive real estate in the world, so it is usually a great way to boost your retirement fund. So, if you have 5 houses, you sell two, rent two and live in one. And all are fully paid for, too. So, people usually are happy to accept this kind of offer. In the home, there is also these wonderfully carved beams, so of which you can see here. Other beams have dragons and other mythical characters on them and every time I go into this place, I wonder at the wood carvings. SO cool to see.

Have an excellent day and thanks once again for your continued interest. Here's the photo:

Hal81 Loc: Bucks County, Pa.

Thanks for the story. Im vice president of our local historical society and we do all we can to save our history before its all gone.

DeeAndre Loc: Boyertown PA

Thank you for all the info behind the photo. So very, very interesting.

Cany143 Loc: SE Utah

Great post. Thank you! (And the house looks pretty amazing, too.)

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

Very nice - thanks for sharing.

fourg1b2006 Loc: Long Island New York

I love the story on this thread. I'm just curious what they do in the winter with no heat. How do they manage that.

Stephan G

Pixeldawg wrote:

Meet my wife's aunt and uncle. They are magnificent people, and although we don't understand much of what each other says, we get along very well. I always feel so welcome in their home, which is some 700 years old. It has dirt floors, no running water and no heat or air conditioning. I told my wife that if they ever want to sell it, I want to buy it because it is so freakin' cool. It is a hard way to live, but they love it and as far as I can tell, they want for nothing. On the outside of the entrance, they have a garden, where they grow all of their own food. They are devout Buddhists and so do not eat meat. The house once belonged to a wealthy merchant and is quite large, although they only live in a small part of it. One of the sections was previously a Christian church, which I found interesting. And in opposition to what most in the west believe, there is religion in China. In fact, lots of it. Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Tao'ist, Confucianism, Judaism and many others are all here and practiced openly. And again, unlike the west, the Chinese tend to be quite tolerant about other people's beliefs. They are a good example of this, having a Christian church right next door to them.

The reason I am showing this image today is that we found out that this ancient neighborhood is going away. The government is going to tear it down and build more modern homes for the people here. The good news though is that this particular home will be spared and used as a visitor center. In China, we describe people as being "house rich". When the government comes in to rebuild, they are obligated to compensate the owners of the homes that will be demolished, similarly to imminent domain. The difference though is that the owners are not obligated to take the offer, as is so often the case in America. Highways have been literally built around homes here because of this. To make the offer good, the government will typically offer 4-5 other homes to the owner in exchange for the one. So, the owner can rent the homes, give them to family or sell them. China has some of the most expensive real estate in the world, so it is usually a great way to boost your retirement fund. So, if you have 5 houses, you sell two, rent two and live in one. And all are fully paid for, too. So, people usually are happy to accept this kind of offer. In the home, there is also these wonderfully carved beams, so of which you can see here. Other beams have dragons and other mythical characters on them and every time I go into this place, I wonder at the wood carvings. SO cool to see.

Have an excellent day and thanks once again for your continued interest. Here's the photo:

Meet my wife's aunt and uncle. They are magnificen... (show quote)

phv Loc: Goleta, California

Fascinating story and I really appreciate you going into detail! And the house! It definitely should be saved!

ebbote Loc: Hockley, Texas

Very interesting story, thanks for sharing Mark.

Pixeldawg Loc: Suzhou, China

fourg1b2006 wrote:

I love the story on this thread. I'm just curious what they do in the winter with no heat. How do they manage that.

The Chinese rarely use heat in their homes (My wife, fortunately, likes to be warm...). But most wear coats in their homes if they get cold. Note that in the photo, they are wearing coats. There are also some places in China, like Beijing, where you pay $30 and have heat for the entire winter, so it's not as big of a deal there. Every home has radiators and the government in these locations pumps steam through them. This is one of the main reasons why Beijing gets so polluted in the winter time- takes a lot of coal to heat 20 million people.

woodweasel Loc: bellingham Wa

very interesting

Toment Loc: FL, IL

Amazing story! Thanks 🙏

arperry Loc: Miami/Florida

Thank you for your detailed and fascinating story and your well captured image, so very educational, at least for me. I am already looking forward to our next lesson in Chinese culture and architecture.