Once upon a time, Qiao San was the "shopaholic" who was obsessed with chasing fashion trends and spending money on luxury goods. As a white-collar worker with a high annual salary, she always has plenty of money, can book high-end hotels as she wants, travel all over the world, and enjoy the supreme taste of material life.
However, this does not represent her inner satisfaction. Despite the piles of belongings in her home, she still couldn't calm her growing anxiety. Qiao San works for a well-known network technology company, and overtime has become commonplace.
The pressure makes her seek consumption as an outlet, and only in the short-term pleasure of shopping can she temporarily relieve and gain a moment of peace.
When Josan falls in love with her boyfriend, she thinks she can find happiness, but the reality is far from that. As time went on, she found that her living situation had deteriorated hopelessly – not only could she not afford to buy the property she had wanted for a long time, but she could not afford even the most basic down payment.
In the end, the relationship ended without a problem, her boyfriend left ruthlessly, and Qiao San fell into deep despair.
There has always been nothing wrong with the pursuit of material things, but there are some obvious problems with Qiao San's unbridled indulgence in shopping. The root of all this can be traced back to her growing up in a poor family.
The lack of material things made Qiao San subconsciously pursue material comforts when he grew up, hoping that money would bring happiness. Today, however, she is acutely aware of how wrong and terrible her lifestyle was.
The large number of useless things piled up in the house has become an eternal pain in Qiao San's heart.
Ignite the fire of "renunciation".
The blow of that lovelorn was undoubtedly a earth-shaking change for Qiao San. She finally made up her mind to quit her high-paying job, leave the bustling city life, and return to her familiar hometown.
This turning point in his life gave Qiao San a new understanding of money and material things. In her opinion, money is nothing more than a string of cold numbers, not synonymous with happiness.
Shopping is more of a way to vent your inner desires than an activity that brings lasting satisfaction.
It was this experience that made Qiao San truly understand the power of "breaking away". When she had to face the mountains of items piled up all over the place when she moved, she felt the pain of having too many things.
From that moment on, she firmly believed in the concept of "no consumption" and embarked on a unique life path that had never been seen before.
The inner metamorphosis soon manifested itself in all aspects of life. Josan began to cherish what he had now and lived a simple and quality life. She is no longer bound by material things, but focuses on her inner cultivation and the pursuit of life.
It was a painful but precious experience for Jossan. She learned to look at the way she used to live with a rational eye, and thus found a new path to spiritual freedom.
And this turning point is also the most important node in her life.
The practice of minimalist living
After experiencing the baptism of "renunciation", Qiao San began to fully practice a minimalist life. She rented a spacious 88-square-meter apartment, but kept only six basic pieces of furniture – a washing machine, a robot vacuum, a refrigerator, a table, a wardrobe and chairs.
What's even more jaw-dropping is that she didn't even buy a bed.
Faced with piles of clothes, bags, cosmetics and other items, Qiao San made up his mind to carry out a complete "renunciation". She kept only a handful of clothes and a few pairs of shoes, and the rest were carefully selected and either sold or gifted to friends and family.
Eating became the biggest expense in Qiao San's life. However, she was not discouraged by this, and instead found an ingenious solution - bartering.
Josan would often wander around the nearby wet market, looking for wilted fruits and vegetables that had been abandoned by the vendors, and then exchanging them with the vendors with what he had to share.
At first, this "non-consumerist" lifestyle made Qiao San feel a little uncomfortable. But soon, she was fascinated by this unprecedented experience of life.
Every time she finds free or cheap ingredients, she feels genuinely happy; Every successful barter has given her an unparalleled sense of accomplishment.
From then on, Josan truly grasped the joy of "non-consumerism". She fell in love with this unique way of life from the bottom of her heart and lived a free, uninhibited life.
Challenging "non-consumerism"
With the rise of short videos, Qiao San, who has just moved into her new home, decided to brave her unique lifestyle online. She didn't expect that her concept of "non-consumerism" would attract widespread attention and attract many loyal fans.
An attentive netizen pointed out that the lifestyle practiced by Qiao San is a portrayal of "non-consumerism". After further understanding and reflection, Josan decided to launch a month-long "non-consumerism" challenge.
On November 30, 2020, this special challenge officially kicked off. Qiao San began to share the bits and pieces of his daily life on social platforms, accepted the supervision of fans, and recorded his every penny of expenses.
In this process, Qiao San constantly reflects and examines his own small desire to consume. She began to wonder if she really needed to buy something that seemed necessary? and many times, it was just a spur of the moment and greed.
And just like that, a month passed quickly. To Qiao San's surprise, she only spent more than 30 yuan! This surprising result made her even more determined to love the "non-consumerist" lifestyle.
Since then, Josan has begun to take a holistic re-examination of her consumption behavior. She learned to use very little financial resources to support her basic needs. Qiao San would collect some items from his home that he did not usually use, such as instant noodles, chocolates, soft drinks, etc., and then exchange daily necessities with his neighbors.
When it comes to food, she's all about finding affordable or free vegetables. Whenever there's something new, Josan is happy to show it off in front of the camera, and she's proud of the fact that she hasn't bought any cosmetics in a year.
Internet celebrities are popular + CCTV attention
Qiao San's unique "non-consumerist" lifestyle soon sparked heated discussions on the Internet. Her adherence to ideas and willingness to share have won the popularity of countless netizens, and her popularity has skyrocketed, becoming a new Internet celebrity.
With the rising popularity, Qiao Sang's life concept has attracted great attention from the domestic mainstream media. The famous CCTV channel invited her to be the protagonist of its show "Subtraction of Life", showing her unique simplifying life strategy in front of the camera.
Compared with the extravagant life of the past, Qiao Sang now only needs to spend about 400 yuan per month to maintain his needs. Her material needs have been reduced to a minimum, and the large amount of money she has saved has been invested in self-improvement and inner cultivation.
In March 2022, Qiao San and his sister embarked on a special journey. They decided to try to earn money through voluntary labor or video shooting when they were completely penniless, and rely on hot traffic to make a basic living.
This is an unprecedented new path, Qiao Sang is exploring step by step, step by step challenging the traditional over-consumption lifestyle.
After nearly a year of training, she has not only gained public recognition, but more importantly, she has achieved great spiritual achievements, and this transformation is her precious life experience.
Today's attitude to life
Today, Qiao San has completely escaped the trap of overconsumption and is living a free and easy life. She will no longer be swayed by outside criticism or unnecessary criticism, but will live a more authentic and fulfilling way of life.
"Non-consumerism", a lifestyle of courage and ideals, has been deeply integrated into Qiao San's daily life. Simple meals, a strong bookish atmosphere, and focused inner cultivation constitute the three indispensable elements of her life.
For Qiao San, this is not only a lifestyle choice, but also a new attitude towards life. She was freed from the past life bound by material things and found the freedom of her mind.
Although Qiao San's life philosophy has sparked heated discussions on the Internet, with some people firmly supporting her contribution to environmental protection resources, there are also skeptics who doubt whether she is "eating and drinking".
In the face of doubt, Qiao San did not flinch, insisting that it was just an honest exchange based on mutual benefit, and that it was not such an immoral behavior.
Qiao San tells us with practical actions that as long as we take the first step bravely, we will definitely be able to find our own piece of the sky in life. When you are willing to embrace freedom, life will orchestrate many surprises for you.
Life doesn't have to follow the rules of others, as Qiao San said: "Challenging the tradition and pursuing yourself" is the path to happiness.