Life among the birds

Wu Zhou often posts pictures of interesting moments during his workday on his micro blog and has drawn a large following. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Before the car accident on Changbai Mountain, Jilin province, Wu was a textbook case of career success. The 30-year-old graduate of a top medical school had become head of the stomatology department of the biggest general hospital in Shanxi province's capital Taiyuan.

Wu was the youngest department chief and introduced the province's first set of porcelain teeth, which tripled the hospital's profits within a year.

Patients flocked to him because of his reputation. But Wu only took patients with connections, who were willing to pay more than 10,000 yuan ($1,650) per operation.

His life transformed after the accident.

Most of his hometown acquaintances thought he'd died. Some debtors even lied to his family, claiming he owed them money.

"I realized I didn't have even a single friend," Wu recalls.

"Only my former classmates left a few lines of condolences on my weibo (micro blog)."

Wu's father believed few people have the chance to re-examine their lives and "live twice".

He asked his distraught son to stay in the mountains to clear his mind.

Wu became an old monk's apprentice. The master taught him meditation, and the village's eight families became his only companions.

He recalls those two years happily. Wu often thinks of those evenings when the whole village gathered to see his latest photo diary. The nights were silent aside from chirping insects and burbling water, occasionally punctuated by villagers' laughter.

"All the young men went to the cities and ignored the advantages the mountains can give," he explains.

"It's understandable because farming is not a highly valued occupation."