In southeastern China, seven close friends had a fun idea in 2008 – to retire together and spend their lives as a group. Now, this idea has become a heartwarming reality as they bought their dream home in suburban Guangzhou, Guangdong province.
In January 2018, they found the perfect property about 70 kilometers away from the city center. Together, they gathered around 4 million yuan ($584,000) to buy and renovate the 700-square meter house. The home has three-and-a-half stories, surrounded by beautiful hills and paddy fields. The ground floor is a communal living space, and each upper floor has individual rooms for the friends to live together.
Their dream house is complete with a lovely kitchen, glass washroom, swimming pool, and special furniture from India and Morocco. They even have a tea pavilion in a paddy field, connected by a bamboo walkway. As tea lovers, they plan to enjoy shared activities like cooking, barbecuing, singing, and gathering food from the village.
To make their retirement life enjoyable, they are learning various skills like cooking, gardening, playing musical instruments, and traditional Chinese medicine.
Even though there is a 10-year age gap between some of them, these friends are determined to stay together in the coming years. They look forward to a future filled with togetherness as their children grow up and begin their own journeys. Their strong bond and shared dream show the power of friendship and the importance of cherishing meaningful connections in life.
