The couple met each other in Norway, where they were both pursuing master's programs related to life science.

After graduation in 2009, Zhang worked with students at the NGO Friends of Nature in Beijing, while her boyfriend came back a year later and engaged in natural conservation.

Previous study and work experiences have predisposed them to a natural setting that is increasingly rare in the city.

They initially rented a small plot to grow vegetables for leisure and found great joy in the process for more than three years.

"My parents loved it, and we got to eat the food we grew by ourselves," Zhang says.

But it just whetted their appetite for a bigger challenge.

"We came up with the bold idea of living in the wilderness," she says.

The couple set their sights on reducing energy and resource consumption and on having the minimum environmental impact.

The place they had in mind would require arable land and forests and be about two hours away from the city.

Contrary to the public perception that big cities are practically ecological deserts, Beijing and Shanghai have many untapped forests and wetlands at their peripheries, many of which have a developed, rich ecosystem.

With a few well-placed inquiries, it didn't take them long to find the right spot.

"The land belongs to an old couple, who are too old to work on it," Zhang says.

So when they put it up for rent, Zhang and her boyfriend grabbed their opportunity, paying an annual rent of about 30,000 yuan ($4,453).