
China’s Last Cave Dwellers - spking
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/13/world/asia/zhong-cave-dwellers.html
======
contingencies
More interesting than cave dwellers and nearby to them are cliff burials. This
is an ancient prehistoric practice and AFAIK there is only one remaining
practicing group, the Ku, in all of continental Eurasia.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanging_coffins](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanging_coffins)

------
txsh
Last? A few years ago it was reported that there are 30 million people living
in caves in China and more cavemen on Earth now than at any point in history.

~~~
reaperducer
The source of the 30 million number is a Los Angeles Times reporter.[0] But
she's talking about yadong[1], which are individual homes carved from cliffs
or also build into trenches.

This New York Times article is specific to a naturally-occurring cave big
enough to fit an entire village of wooden houses and then some.

I'm not saying you're wrong. Just trying to explain the discrepancy.

[0] [http://articles.latimes.com/2012/mar/18/world/la-fg-china-
ca...](http://articles.latimes.com/2012/mar/18/world/la-fg-china-
caves-20120318)

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaodong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaodong)

------
microcolonel
> _And there they have remained, even after China was united under Communist
> rule, grinding out an existence of profound rural poverty and isolation._

I would say _especially_ after that, knowing how that played out. I'd prefer
rural poverty and isolation from the CPC over universal poverty and pragmatic
social isolation from my neighbours and my own children (!) any day, I don't
know about you.

~~~
reaperducer
_> Mr. Wang said that during those years, violators of the policy would
sometimes be taken away for forced abortions and sterilization._

Reason enough to choose isolation.

