From time to time, most of us crave a little solitude in our lives, but not likely to the extent of Lui Shengjia’s lifestyle for the past decade.

In 2006, 20 families occupied the village of Xuenshanshe in China, but as people passed away from old age, and others moved due to the decline of natural resources, all but three people remained in the area – Mr Shengjia, his elderly mother and his unwell brother. Within a year, both his mother and brother had also passed away, leaving him alone in the village.

“In the beginning, I wasn’t able to sleep at night while listening to the howling of the wild dogs,” Mr Shengjia told People’s Daily. “But after I started to tend a few sheep, they’ve become my companions and I slowly got used to living alone.”

Though many of the homes in the area were run down, he had his pick of the local real estate. And after Mr Shengjia’s first choice collapsed one night, he simply moved into another.

Mr Shengjia holds a part-time job with the forestry department’s forest protection agency, where he earns 700 yuan ($143) a month. This involves long walks to water holes and to a distant village to buy food, and can also be pretty lonely at times.

“Surviving here is not a problem for me,” he maintains. “But I [will] move to a more populous location when the time comes.”

It is not quite clear what Mr Shengjia is waiting for, but perhaps he has come to enjoy his own company.

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