The idle rich, or those who want out of the rat race, are seeking an idyllic getaway life in the countryside, joining what they call "lazy men's clubs."

"I want to quit the fierce competition and I don't want to make any more money," said Li Jianneng, former director of the Guangzhou City Administration of Parks and Gardens. In his 40s, he is now a member of a "lazy men's club" - an emerging national phenomenon.

He built a brick-and-log house by himself, and he has few appliances. He has a bookshelf, books, a sofa and a teapot.

Every morning, Li goes fishing in the pond in front of his house, and then rows a boat across the pond to a garden where he picks vegetables and fruits for lunch.

He chats with other members of the lazy men's club in the afternoon, exchanges ideas on their hobbies and sometimes shows others his calligraphy and photographs.

Thirteen families have joined the lazy men's club in Guangzhou, including lawyers, public servants, owners of private enterprises, doctors and real estate agents.

They rented 670,000 square meters of farmland on the outskirts of Guangzhou, then worked together to build houses, plant vegetables (organic only), raise poultry and share the revenue, living a self-sufficient life.

Dating back to more than 1,500 years ago, ancient Chinese poet Tao Yuanming described his ideal pastoral life.

Li and his fellows have realized Tao's dream.

One of the founders of the lazy men's club, surnamed Long, turned over company operations to a manager three years ago - he wanted out.

"I spent three days fishing every week, and met many lazy men. The idea of setting up a club came naturally," he said.

Pastoral life in the lazy men's club is a new option for elites who struggled to succeed, said a lawyer surnamed Ke, a member of the club.

"Young people seeking ease and comfort are not welcome in this club because they do not carry out their responsibilities toward their families and the society," said Ke.

To become a member, one needs to be rich but not be obsessed with money.

Similar clubs have sprouted around Chongqing, Shanghai and other cities.

The emergence of lazy men's clubs also shows that some people pay more attention to their spiritual lives after getting rich, said Li Yingsheng, a sociology professor at the People's University of China.

(Xinhua News Agency January 16, 2006)