Former city slickers share new life on the pasture

Zhou Menghao and Yan Simin recently shared their experience of living like true herders from the Kazak ethnic group on the pastures of Zhaosu county in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, in a video they posted on social media platforms.

Over the past eight months, the young couple from Shanghai endured the hardship of moving to two different pastures with the herdsmen and their livestock. "In the past, we were outsiders who traveled back and forth between the city and grassland, but by getting deeply involved in the Kazak herders' lifestyle this year, we feel that we've finally become part of the local community," they said in the video.

About three years ago, the couple rented a house on a herder's winter settlement and moved to Zhaosu. They had the house renovated and purchased a horse and a sheep. They then began to share their life on the pasture on their social media account "Caotuiche" in July last year.

Their first post was a video of a stunning sunset on the grassland at their doorstep. Their posts quickly became popular, especially among young people who feel trapped in the cities.

Zhou, 28, said that they are both freelancers in the advertising industry so were relatively free to choose where they wanted to live and their lifestyle. They made the decision to move to Zhaosu after being attracted by the scenes of herders grazing their horses and sheep in the stunning landscape while on a business trip.

"The qualities of herders are honesty, simplicity and being chilled, which are very inspiring," said Zhou, who has made many local friends. "Also, they are always optimistic about life and rarely complain."

He said he and Yan, 26, enjoy noticing things that they would normally never pay close attention to in the city such as blossoming flowers and the ever-changing weather. "Cities are man-made and artificial, but here things are created by nature. It's so different and magical."

Despite many people commenting on their videos saying it looks like their dream life, living on the pasture has its challenges. The couple has to take care of livestock and maintain the grassland. More importantly, they have to learn to make peace with nature and follow its rules, Zhou said.

He said the price they have paid to move to Zhaosu, such as missing out on potential job opportunities and income, is nothing compared to their gains. "Life on the pasture is so interesting and beyond most people's imagination. It's like we've been given a new life. I hope people can be brave when pursuing the things that make their hearts skip a beat."