Man Who Wanted To Escape Family Has Lived In Airport For 14 Years

Airports have long been seen as the gateway for escape; to get away from the day-to-day life and explore the world beyond.

Well, one lad took the term 'escape' a little too far after venturing to Beijing Capital International Airport 14 years ago and never returned.

Wei Jianguo, a Chinese man in his 60s, has lived at the airport's Terminal 2 since 2008.

His reason for never leaving? He wants to smoke and drink without his family bothering him.

We've all been there: family bothering you to no end, craving a holiday away for a bit of freedom. But most of us come home eventually.

However, Wei has decided that he's never going to be ready for that holiday to end.

"My family told me if I wanted to stay, I had to quit smoking and drinking. If I couldn't do that, I had to give them all my monthly government allowance of 1,000 yuan (AU$200). But then how would I buy my cigarettes and alcohol?"

Wei has also decided to give up on looking for work after he was laid off in his 40s and struggled to keep a new job because of being 'too old'.

Surprisingly, he doesn't have the longest tenure of living at an airport either.

Turkish man Bayram Tepeli moved to Ataturk Airport in 1991 for similar reasons to that of Wei's, and lived there for 27 years before the airport closed in 2019. He now lives in Sabiha Gokcen Airport.

He looked to find a new job at the airport after following directions for his boss. He worked for a short time and has lived ever since.

He told Daily Sabah: "My former boss told me one day that he found me a job where I wouldn't need to find a place to stay anymore. Then, I came here."

After suffering from health problems, he was forced to quit the job at the airport but decided to continue making the terminal his home.

Back in Beijing, Wei is often subject to police and security clear out where they drive him back to his home in Wangjing.

However, he says he always finds his way back.

He said: "I get expelled, lay low, and then I come back, just like old times.

"At least I have my freedom in the airport."