China Man Lives In A Car To Save Money To See His Girlfriend 500KM Away
Each week, Huang spends about 14 hours travelling from Beijing to Taiyuan and back.
By Sukhbir Cheema — 17 May 2024, 04:20 PM
A salesman in China has been living in his car to save enough money to visit his girlfriend and her dog every weekend, who live 500km away
According to the South China Morning Post, 35-year-old Huang works in China's capital Beijing and travels to Taiyuan in Shanxi province by train to spend the weekend with his girlfriend.
To help him save money, Huang has been living in his 1.5sq m car.
He even converted the rear passenger seat into a foldable bed to help him sleep comfortably.
Huang leaves his girlfriend's house in Taiyuan at 3am every Monday to get to his office in Beijing by 9.30am — the entire journey takes up to seven hours
He leaves for his girlfriend's hometown every Friday after work by parking his car in Beijing.
After spending the weekend, he leaves Taiyuan in the wee hours of the morning while his girlfriend is still asleep.
According to reports, he always makes sure to kiss his sleeping girlfriend before leaving.
Huang began living in his car after the worst regional flooding in 140 years destroyed the house he was renting on the outskirts of Beijing
The salesman has been living on the outskirts of Beijing and commuting to the capital due to low rent for 12 years. Each month, his rent used to cost him 2,000 yuan (RM1,300).
However, he decided to live in his car as he couldn't afford the 10,000 yuan (RM6,500) rent for the flats near his office. Huang also used to spend up to four hours to travel to his office daily. At times, he even left home at 4am.
However, he feels living in his car helps him save time and money. He now only drives for 20 minutes to his office.
Huang modified his car slightly so that it's more liveable, takes showers at public toilets and sports stadiums, and has a list of fine-free locations to park his car for the night
He turned the armrest between the driver and front passenger seats into a holder for tall cups to heat water. He also fitted an outdoor power outlet on the front passenger side.
At night, Huang folds down the rear passenger seats to create space for a folding bed stored in the boot.
He keeps a sleeping bag in his roof box for winter.
At first, his girlfriend encouraged him to seek a different rental, but she eventually embraced his lifestyle
In a video posted on Douyin, Huang revealed that he still feels embarrassed to reveal to people that he lives in his car.
However, he feels he has made the right choice.
"After all, renting a place alone in Beijing doesn’t make much sense. Home is where family is," Huang said in his video.
