My home in a Hunan village

16 short clips from my family house outside Changsha, Hunan. Shot on a phone, narrated in English. No gate code, no house number — you just walk in.

The whole film

1 minute 56 seconds, English narration and subtitles.

Subtitles are burned in, so it works with the sound off.

Want to see it in person? Message me on WhatsApp · +86 133 1955 1131

THE ROAD IN01THE ROAD INThis is the road to my house. No street sign, no house number, just a dirt track between the fields. THE HOUSE02THE HOUSEMy family built this house themselves. Two cars in the yard: one for work, one for the city. THE DOOR03THE DOORNo gate code, no doorman. You just walk in. GROUND FLOOR04GROUND FLOOREvery floor here is tile. Easy to clean, and it stays cool in summer. THE KITCHEN05THE KITCHENOne window, two sinks, blue buckets. A BEDROOM06A BEDROOMA bunk bed and a window with bars. THE STAIRS07THE STAIRSThe stairs are tiled too. Which is why nobody runs in this house. UPSTAIRS08UPSTAIRSUpstairs is where the family sleeps. Best window in the house. EMPTY ROOMS09EMPTY ROOMSMost of the rooms up here are still empty. They built bigger than they need, for the next generation. THE BATHROOM10THE BATHROOMThe whole floor is the shower. THE VIEW11THE VIEWAnd this is why the house sits where it does. From the balcony you can see the whole village. THE VILLAGE12THE VILLAGEClay tiles, laid by hand, forty years ago. Rain and sun, and they still do not leak. OUTSIDE STAIRS13OUTSIDE STAIRSConcrete stairs up the side of the house. No lift out here. GREEN14GREENIt rains a lot in Hunan. That is why everything is so green it almost looks fake. THE WAY OUT15THE WAY OUTThe way out is one car wide, right along the water. THE RIVER16THE RIVERThis is what we come back for. Water, trees, and quiet.