Time for a cool change

Breaking free

Lyu is part of a small but increasingly visible trend. In recent months, a growing number of social media posts have appeared about buying old homes in the Greater Hinggan Mountains.

Young people have shared stories about moving from major cities to Bishui and Yitulihe in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, as well as their plans to renovate budget homes, tend vegetable plots and spend a season away from urban life.

In Yitulihe, outside buyers have been looking at low-priced apartments and courtyard homes for several years.

The dwellings in Bishui that caught Lyu's eye were built to accommodate a different economy. Many date to the 1980s and 1990s, when logging supported settlements scattered across the mountains. As forestry production changed and workers retired or moved away, rows of houses were left unused.

Pan Shiyu, who has lived in Bishui since arriving from Guangdong province in 2009, began helping meet the growing demand for such properties about five years ago. Sometimes she buys a home and sells it on, while other times she acts as an agent for sellers and buyers.

Her first purchase followed a meeting with an elderly couple preparing to join their children in Shanghai.

"They stood in front of the old house and were upset. They did not want to abandon it, but they could not stay," Pan recalled. She bought the roughly 50-square-meter home for 5,000 yuan and later began acquiring other vacant properties, arranging ownership documents and matching them with buyers.

Pan said she has helped put more than 300 homes back into use. At first, most buyers were approaching retirement. Over the past two years, more people in their 20s and 30s have made inquiries, she said.

"Some young people stay for a few months, some stay longer," she said."When they have rested and recharged, they set off again."

The changing demographic is noticeable in Bixing community, Bishui.

Zhao Qingguang, head of the community residents' committee, has worked there for more than 20 years.

He estimated that "nonlocal households" have risen from just over 10 to more than 30 today. The number could reach 50 or 60, if buyers who have not yet arrived were included, he said.

The community has about 500 to 600 households. During busy times, it has 700 to 800 residents, Zhao estimated. In winter, the population drops to about 300. Only a handful of nonlocals remain throughout the cold months.

The houses are inexpensive, but many lack indoor bathrooms and modern heating. To deal with the cold, residents burn firewood or install electric systems themselves.

"Heating is a real problem in winter," he said. "The winter here is long."

However, many homebuyers renovate their courtyards and return in summer. Others discover that the distance, cold, or the daily work involved in maintaining the property and their desire for a comfortable existence are too much for them, and they put their homes back on the market.