Millions of Chinese Living in Caves
- 12 years ago
Millions of Chinese Living in Caves - as part of the news series by GeoBeats.
In China, it is estimated that nearly 30 million people call cave dwellings their home and these caves have been used as residences for thousands of years. Many of these dwellings are passed on from generation to generation and vary from one room hovels dug out of the earth, to multichamber rooms that even have power and running water. "It's like living in a villa. Caves in our villages are as comfortable as posh apartments in the city," Cheng Wei, a cave resident and Communist Party Official told the LA Times. The people who live in these caves enjoy the lifestyle, and one man who left to work in the city, plans to return to living in the caves when he is retired.
There are many other regions around the world where people live in caves. One of the most ancient places where humans have been in continuous habitation is located in the Cappadocia region of Turkey. These unusually shaped rock formations are home to some 25 hundred people, and documents from the 6th century BC describe the region as one of the oldest parts of the Persian Empire.
If you want to move into a cave, look no further than The Cave House in Arizona. No need to pay for heating or air conditioning because the cave stays relatively comfortable year round, and it has a natural spring.
In China, it is estimated that nearly 30 million people call cave dwellings their home and these caves have been used as residences for thousands of years. Many of these dwellings are passed on from generation to generation and vary from one room hovels dug out of the earth, to multichamber rooms that even have power and running water. "It's like living in a villa. Caves in our villages are as comfortable as posh apartments in the city," Cheng Wei, a cave resident and Communist Party Official told the LA Times. The people who live in these caves enjoy the lifestyle, and one man who left to work in the city, plans to return to living in the caves when he is retired.
There are many other regions around the world where people live in caves. One of the most ancient places where humans have been in continuous habitation is located in the Cappadocia region of Turkey. These unusually shaped rock formations are home to some 25 hundred people, and documents from the 6th century BC describe the region as one of the oldest parts of the Persian Empire.
If you want to move into a cave, look no further than The Cave House in Arizona. No need to pay for heating or air conditioning because the cave stays relatively comfortable year round, and it has a natural spring.