78-year-old man spends two decades building rock castle

A 78-year-old man has lived a relatively secluded life for the past 20 years while he built a rock castle in a mountain valley, sending himself into massive debt in the process.

The huge monument, about 10 kilometers from Huaxi Town in Guizhou Province, is based on a primitive local style called Nuo Culture, which is inspired by the ideology of farming.

Stone pillars built against the mountain, arches formed from rubble, stone faces with various expressions, and uneven towers lining up along the sharp rock face are all eye-catching features of the unique structure.

The man behind the castle of sorts is Song Peilun, a former college teacher who quit his job 20 years ago to embark on his unforgettable project. 

Song taught sculpture at the College of Arts at Guizhou University for two years before resigning and using his skills, together with dozens of nearby villagers, to build the castle from waste rocks, damaged pots, and old bricks collected from the area.

The project has sent Song into massive debt to the tune of two million yuan (US$301,037), some of which he's made back by renting the location out to film projects.

He hopes he's succeeded in "conveying the glamour of traditions and primitiveness to the modern people", and intends to develop the castle into a museum so that more people can enjoy it.