Dai Ling, an American, came to China 12 years ago. Instead of going to Sanlitun pubs and the Shaolin Monastery, he went into seclusion in Qingdao, east China's Shandong province to study the Tao Teh King, a classic work in ancient Chinese philosophy written by Laozi.

He said that the urbanization in China may be a copy of America. He could only find ancient Chinese civilization in villages which are disappearing quickly with the process of urbanization.

Dai Ling is a typical "foreigner" with golden hair and strong body.

His home in the village is in a courtyard surrounded by mountains. Spring Festival couplets, faded ancient Chinese poetry, and Chinese character "Fu" all look especially conspicuous.

He has lived in the village for almost 10 years and he loves here very much.

In other people's eyes, Dai Ling's daily life is too leisurely.

He gets up running at 6 a.m., makes tea during the daytime, teaches local children English and sometimes plays the guitar for his friends.

He spent 7 years translating the Tao Teh King into English based on his own understanding, which made him very proud.

However, he also encounters problems when coming back to reality. Due to the difference in characters and culture, he separated with his Chinese wife temporarily last year.

Dai's three-year-old son lives with his mother. Dai could only look at his photos when he misses his son.

For people who are not familiar with him, he is a hermit in the village and lives a simple life. However, for himself, exploring ancient Chinese culture is a long way to go, and he loves it and will keep on moving.