Money might not grow on trees, but it sure can buy you lots of them. Proving this point is a rich businessman’s wife in China, who has rented a whole mountain just so her her daughter can learn more about nature and the great outdoors.
33-year-old Gan Lin, a former teacher, now spends most of her time dreaming up innovative ways of spending her husband’s money. The family lives in China’s Chongqing municipality, where Yin Gan, the daughter, attends fourth grade at a primary school. Gan recently discovered just how little Yin knew about nature, so she decided to solve the problem by throwing some of her excess money at it. She paid a local council to lease a mountain, including a 1.3-hectare farm located there.
Gan is believed to be spending about $5,000 a month for her daughter and her friends to enjoy exclusive access to the mountain. “I just think this is the best and easiest way to get my nine-year-old daughter in touch with nature,” she said. She has generously allowed the farmer to stay on the land for free. In return, he needs to spend time teaching the kids to look after the fruit trees and vegetables every day.
According to Gan, “Kids in the city know too little about nature. It’s a good idea to teach them nature in a nature setting rather than the classroom.” You certainly can’t argue with that logic. But is it really necessary to rent an entire mountain for the cause? Gan thinks so. “It is safe, it is clean and it is beautiful. If I can afford to rent a mountain, why not?”