LONG before free plastic bags were banned in China earlier this month, some people had begun distancing themselves from the downsides of modern life. These people, many of them young, have turned to a lifestyle known as "simple living".

    Instead of joining the race to drive the best car, wear the best clothes and fill their schedules to the max, these individuals had decided on a life of "voluntary simplicity". They buy only when necessary and limit their reliance on modern conveniences like mobile phones and refrigerators. Their goal is to live a more healthy, content and eco-friendly life.

    For instance, the 20-year-old Shanghai University junior Sun Di chooses to wash her clothes by hand, even when a washing machine is available. She uses one of her mom's old mobile phones. When she's home for the weekend, she insists on going without the air conditioner. Sun insists she doesn't live this way just to save money.

    "I think this kind of natural lifestyle is healthy. I feel relaxed when I wash clothes with the music on. And air-conditioners can make people weak to weather changes," said Sun. "Buying fewer new things also helps me save money for traveling with friends and family."

    It's unclear just how many young people in China believe in or practice simple living. A 2007 survey by the British Council on the spending habits of young Chinese found that they are generally supportive of the concept. About 67 percent of the surveyed thought they should actively change their lifestyle to cut back on consumption.

    Wang Ning, a sociology professor at Sun Yat-sen University, isn't surprised that some young people might now be attracted to a lifestyle of simplicity. "For a country that has suffered poverty, lacks a religious influence and is developing quickly, a rise in quality of life and wealth can easily lead to squandering," said Wang.

    Popular simplicity

    "Some young people, well-educated and sensitive, have begun to examine their lifestyles. They realize that happiness and fulfillment do not lie in having more money or bigger things, but rather in time spent with loved ones and the community."

    Media have also helped to make the lifestyle fashionable, said Gao Like, head of the Media and International Culture College at Zhejiang University. "Books about simple living are sweeping China, such as Gracious Living in a New World," said Gao. "She presents life not as a problem to be solved, but as an experience to be savored."

    Gao notes, however, that simple living needn't mean that we must reject modern technology: "People must find a balance between life quality and material pursuit. We should learn to discard the modern things that are unnecessary." A simple living also is a good way to cut back on stress, said Gao. "Choo