Instead of making millions, he works as a cook in the communal kitchen

Mr Liu now lives as a monk at a temple in east China's Anhui Province

He spent two years living in total isolation before joining a temple

Liu Jingchong, 39, has given up his millions and material

A Chinese millionaire has given up his fortune and all material possessions in order to become a Buddhist monk.

Liu Jingchong, a businessman from Guangdong Province, moved into the mountains to live in total isolation after an epiphany in 2012 made him desire a 'minimalist life'.

Two years later, he met a monk and decided to join a temple in east China, and instead of making millions he now works in a communal kitchen.

New life: Millionaire Liu Jingchong, 39, moved into the mountains to live in total isolation after an epiphany in 2012 made him desire a 'minimalist life'

Mr Liu, 39, swapped big city life - and millions in annual income - for a life without material possessions on Zhongnan Mountain in north-western Shaanxi Province in December 2012.

He said a sudden epiphany had made him realise that people will never stop pursuing bigger houses, better jobs, and more expensive cars if they continue to live in metropolises, failing to focus on their 'inner' life.

He spent two years in total isolation, living in a shed made of straw and spending most of his days meditating, reading, and practising calligraphy.

Simple life: Mr Liu gave up his entire fortune and all his material possessions ahead of the move

Different world: He spent two years living in the mountains before joining a temple and becoming a monk

Reflections: Mr Lui's time in the mountains was spent meditating, reading, and practising calligraphy

Mr Liu said of his time in the mountains: 'The living conditions were bad. My bed was made of bricks and there was no electricity during the snowy winter.'

He continued: 'But I didn't feel cold there. Maybe it was because I liked the life there and focused just on what I liked.'

He grew his own vegetables in the mountains and only left his hermit lifestyle to buy rice, flour, and oil.

Another road: After meeting a monk from Baochan Temple, Mr Lui decided to join him and live as a monk

Down to business: Mr Liu's new job as a cook in the communal kitchen at the temple is light-years away from his life in the big city as a millionaire

He said he spent almost no money during the two years, and also did not need a watch, as he rose with the sun and slept with the moon.

After meeting a monk, Mr Liu followed him to Baochan Temple in the county of Hanshan, in East China's Anhui Province to take a tonsure - the shaving of a Buddhist monk's head.