[Reading level: C1 – Advanced]
China – Leaving high-paying jobs in Shanghai, a couple returns to their hometown to build a fairytale house and develop an herbal fabric dyeing business.
The scent of flowers drifts gently through the air at the entrance, where a house covered in lush green vines and adorned with cascading wisteria blossoms is nestled behind the trees. This is the home of Luo Dao and Li Jie, located in Baisha Town, Yangxin County, Hubei Province.
“I’ve been back home for seven years now, hoping to use my knowledge to help the villagers develop the local economy together,” said 33-year-old Luo Dao, a former student of Hubei Academy of Fine Arts.
Luo Dao majored in woodblock printing, while his wife, 32-year-old Li Jie, originally from Chongqing, studied photography at the same university. After graduation, they worked for Disney Shanghai, where they were responsible for color painting and homestay design. Their combined monthly income exceeded 40,000 yuan (about $5,600).
However, life in the bustling city gradually became monotonous for the young couple. One weekend, Luo Dao took his girlfriend to visit his grandmother’s home, where he had lived until the age of nine.
Nestled in a valley, the ancient village appeared before them. In the misty, humid spring, the rain-washed stone-paved paths gleamed, giving Li Jie the surreal feeling of stepping into another world.
“Why don’t we live here instead?” In that moment, she felt as though she had found her dream home.
At the end of June 2016, the couple left the city for the countryside. Their decision worried Luo Dao’s parents—his mother, a retired nurse, and his father, a construction worker, had moved out of the village years ago and settled in town. They couldn’t understand why their son and future daughter-in-law would want to return.
Despite their parents’ concerns, the couple was determined to start a new life in the countryside. Their initial plan was to build an ideal home and later open a homestay where visitors could engage in artistic experiences and immerse themselves in nature. They spent over 700,000 yuan constructing “a house that the villagers didn’t understand,” modeled after the witch’s house in the animated film Kiki’s Delivery Service.
One side of the roof was arched, while the other was sloped, making the house resemble a castle. The back windows opened to a vast valley, while the front overlooked a flower garden. Together, the couple designed and brought their “fairy tale house” to life—unique, dreamy, and warm.
However, local carpenters struggled with the unconventional curves, as they were only accustomed to building rectangular houses. Determined, Luo Dao took on the challenge himself, crafting the curved details his wife had envisioned. His parents also pitched in. As time passed, their days were filled with both joy and hard work. Finally, in May 2019, the house was completed.
The couple on their wedding day in 2019 – Cặp vợ chồng trong ngày cưới năm 2019That same month, the couple held their wedding ceremony right in their newly built home, which had taken them three years to complete. “My love, I’ve known you since I was 19, and we’ve spent our youth together. Whether it’s yesterday, today, or the days to come, I will always love you with all my heart!” Luo Dao beamed at his beautiful bride in their enchanting home.
After the wedding, the young couple welcomed Luo Dao’s parents back to live with them. “The little witch’s house really does have magic,” Li Jie said with a smile. The villagers, who were once skeptical, soon grew to admire the couple.
Even the local government took notice, inviting them to participate in the planning and design of Tongdou Village. “Before, we only designed individual homestays, but we lacked the knowledge for comprehensive village planning,” Luo Dao explained.
Through a friend’s introduction, the couple traveled to Guizhou to learn more. By chance, they met an artisan specializing in herbal fabric dyeing, a master of an intangible cultural heritage in Guizhou. In addition to studying village planning and design, they also learned the ancient craft of fabric dyeing.
[xây ngôi nhà như cổ tích 10]
The couple with their son at their home on their wedding day in May 2029 – Cặp vợ chồng và con trai trong ngày cưới tại ngôi nhà của họ tháng 5/2029.
After returning home, the couple established a dyeing workshop, using natural ingredients like gardenia fruit and pomegranate peel to create dye baths for organic cotton fabrics, following traditional techniques. “Developing our hometown requires capital, so we want to use herbal fabric dyeing to help the villagers earn a living, improve the appearance of the village, and create a model rural community,” Luo Dao said.
With support from both local and city governments, the couple expanded their workshop and cultivated 1.33 hectares of plants used for dyeing. Their business also created job opportunities for the villagers. Now, they have launched an online store on Douyin (China’s TikTok), and their products are sold in major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Suzhou, and even in Germany.
Their product range includes eco-friendly shopping bags, organic cotton bedding dyed with herbal extracts, sleepwear, blankets, and handkerchiefs.
“In the future, we will continue using herbal fabric dyeing to help villagers prosper while transforming our village into a ‘new fairy tale town,'” the couple confidently stated.
Source: https://vnexpress.net/vo-chong-bo-pho-ve-que-xay-ngoi-nha-nhu-co-tich-4813971.html
WORD BANK:
fairy tale /ˈfer.i ˌteɪl/ (n) [B1]: truyện cổ tích
herbal /ˈɝː.bəl/ (adj): thảo mộc
fabric dyeing /ˈfæb.rɪk ˈdaɪ.ɪŋ/ (n): nhuộm vải
scent /sent/ (n) [B2]: mùi hương
drift gently through the air (expression): (mùi hương) thoang thoảng
lush /lʌʃ/ (adj) [C1]: xanh mướt
vine /vaɪn/ (n) [B2]: cây dây leo
adorn sth with sth /əˈdɔːrn/ (v) [C2]: tô điểm cái gì bằng cái gì
cascading /kæsˈkeɪ.dɪŋ/ (adj): buông rủ
nestled somewhere /ˈnes.əld/ (v): ẩn mình, nép mình ở đâu
woodblock /ˈwʊd.blɑːk/ (n): khắc gỗ
bustling /ˈbʌs.lɪŋ/ (adj) [C1]: ồn ào
monotonous /məˈnɑː.t̬ən.əs/ (adj) [C1]: đơn điệu, nhàm chán
valley /ˈvæl.i/ (n) [B1]: thung lũng
misty /ˈmɪs.ti/ (adj) [B2]: mù mịt sương
stone-paved /stoʊn peɪvd/ (adj): lát đá
path /pæθ/ (n) [A2]: con đường mòn
gleam /ɡliːm/ (v) [C2]: tỏa sáng lấp lánh
initial /ɪˈnɪʃ.əl/ (adj) [B2]: ban đầu
artistic /ɑːrˈtɪs.tɪk/ (adj) [B2]: mang tính nghệ thuật
immerse oneself in nature /ɪˈmɝːs/ (v): hòa mình vào thiên nhiên
witch /wɪtʃ/ (n) [B1]: phù thủy
animated film /ˈæn.ɪ.meɪ.t̬ɪd fɪlm/ (n): phim hoạt hình
arch /ɑːrtʃ/ (n, v) [B2]: mái vòm, tạo hình mái vòm
slope /sloʊp/ (n, v) [B2]: dốc, tạo độ dốc
resemble sth /rɪˈzem.bəl/ (v) [B2]: trông giống như cái gì đó
overlook sth /ˌoʊ.vɚˈlʊk/ (v) [C1]: nhìn ra đâu đó
bring sth to life /brɪŋ tə laɪf/ (v): biến cái gì thành hiện thực
carpenter /ˈkɑːr.pɪn.t̬ɚ/ (n) [B2]: thợ mộc
unconventional /ˌʌn.kənˈven.ʃən.əl/ (adj) [C1]: khác thường
rectangular /rekˈtæŋ.ɡjə.lɚ/ (adj) [B2]: hình chữ nhật
take on a challenge /teɪk ɑːn ə ˈtʃæl.ɪndʒ/ (v): đón nhận thử thách
craft sth /kræft/ (v) [C1]: chế tác ra cái gì (thủ công)
envision sth /ɪnˈvɪʒ.ən/ (v) [C1]: hình dung ra cái gì
pitch in /pɪtʃ ɪn/ (v) [C1]: chung tay, tham gia vào việc gì đó
beam /biːm/ (v) [C1]: nở nụ cười rạng rỡ
enchanting /ɪnˈtʃæn.t̬ɪŋ/ (adj) [C1]: đẹp mê hoặc
skeptical /ˈskep.tɪ.kəl/ (adj) [C2]: hoài nghi
comprehensive /ˌkɑːm.prɪˈhen.sɪv/ (adj) [C1]: tổng thể
artisan /ˈɑːr.t̬ə.zən/ (n) [C1]: nghệ nhân
intangible cultural heritage /ɪnˈtæn.dʒə.bəl ˈkʌl.tʃɚ.əl ˈher.ɪ.t̬ɪdʒ/ (n): di sản phi vật thể
gardenia fruit /ɡɑːrˈdiː.ni.ə fruːt/ (n): quả cây dành dành
pomegranate /ˈpɑː.məˌɡræn.ɪt/ (n) [B2]: quả lựu
cultivate /ˈkʌl.tə.veɪt/ (v) [B2]: trồng
bedding /ˈbed.ɪŋ/ (n) [C1]: chăn ga gối đệm
extract /ɪkˈstrækt/ (v, n) [C1]: chiết xuất
prosper /ˈprɑː.spɚ/ (v) [C1]: làm giàu
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