Inside Huaxi, The Mysterious 'Richest Village In China'
But the sleepy farming community he helped turn into a Communist utopia still claims to be as strong as ever.
Much of what we know about the village, founded by the former secretary of Huaxi Village Communist Party Committee Wu Renbao, is media speculation or the word of Wu Renbao himself.
The original "registered residents" are even forbidden to speak with foreigners or the press, according to The China Chronicle.
It's believed the descendants of the so-called model socialist village's original residents are entitled to extraordinary amenities, including free healthcare, education, luxurious homes, cars, and at least $250,000 in their bank accounts.
We also know the village is home to a "World Park" that is filled with replicas of the world's most iconic landmarks, from the Statue of Liberty to the Arc de Triomphe, as well as a new glossy skyscraper that is the 15th tallest building in China.
But it's said that life is not as idyllic as Huaxi would like visitors to believe. Residents supposedly work seven days a week, often in Huaxi's industrial plants, and there is a rigid hierarchy between the 2,000 "registered residents" of the village whose families date back to the 1950s and newcomers to Huaxi who are paid standard wages and don't share in the same luxuries like free healthcare, cars, and property.
Plus, if original residents leave Huaxi, they lose everything.