Discerning Travelers

By Yuan Yuan

lingnAn Village in tonglu County， east Chinas Zhejiang Province， has seen bed and breakfast （B&B） accommodations flourishing in recent years， with villagers and newcomers alike taking advantage of this promising business.

Zhu Zhenhua， from Zhejiangs capital city Hangzhou， moved to a village with his wife in 2008. They rented a courtyard property and spent about 300，000 yuan （$46，154） on its renovation. As tourists came to the village and asked whether they could pay to stay in the house， Zhu turned it into a B&B business.

“Now we dont want to go back to central Hangzhou，” Zhu said. “Living here is an ideal choice for us retired people， with fresh air and a peaceful life. We have a big house， and we can plant our own vegetables.”

“Many villagers have come to realize the value of their rural houses，” said Shentu Xiaoshan， a villager from Shenao Village in Tonglu.

Now B&B accommodations are common in the village， and some houses have even been renovated into cafés. “The once-empty village has become lively now，” Shentu said.

On May 31， the First China International B&B Development Forum was held in Tonglu. It was the first time China held an international forum on B&B and it attracted more than 500 B&B experts and business owners from around the world， sharing their experiences and opinions on the industry.

Tonglu was among the first counties in China to develop the rural economy based on B&B accommodation. Local government figures show that by the end of 2015， the county had a total of 8，119 beds in B&B establishments. In 2015 alone， the county received 2.67 million tourists， generating 170 million yuan （$27.4 million） for the local economy.

“The environment of the villages has improved very much，” Shentu said. “We have set up an advanced sewage disposal system， and the villagers are more concerned about sanitation， as it will affect the business.”

“We have our way to manage the B&B business in the village，” said Zhou Zhonglian， head of Huanxi Village. “We endorse a B&B owner as long as he or she can meet the requirements on sanitation， security， etc.， and register the number of beds they have for guests. In peak seasons， we set up a database and help to arrange beds for tourists collectively.”

A dream house

Xie Rongxiang， President of My Vacation Tourism and Investment Co. Ltd.， has been keeping an eye on the domestic B&B market for the past eight years since meeting Huang Weishun， founder of Luci House， the first B&B hotel in Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces.

“I can see the promise in this business， as it can provide some unique experiences for travelers，” said Xie. “The B&B founders are， in a way， artists with idealism. They want to create a world by themselves and share it with visitors.”

“Building a B&B hotel is a process of expressing a designers understanding of life，” said Chen Feibo， founder and owner of Tune Life， a high-end B&B on Mogan Mountain， a retreat resort in Deqing County， Zhejiang. “To stay in my hotel is like talking with me through the house Ive designed. Its a lovely experience for both the visitors and the founder.”

Chen， who used to be a fashion designer， spent two years creating his hotel， much longer than other owners typically spend. In May 2016， the B&B finally opened for business.

Combining an elegant antique style with modern design， the hotel is not cheap； each room has its own independent stairway， and the lowest nightly rate is over 1，300 yuan （$209.7）.

Located in the mountains， Chens hotel is isolated， and the closest restaurant is about 10 minutes drive away. Guests， however， can order lunch and dinner in the hotel and， if they want， can also make use of the kitchen to prepare meals themselves.

But such a remote location is what attracted Ada（who prefers to use one name）， the owner of Zaishuangqiao B&B Hotel， away from life in the city， where she experienced solitude.

“I always felt helpless and lonely in cities， and I needed to flee urgently from that kind of life，” Ada said. Originally from a village， she has a natural love for rural life - a desire to get close to nature and enjoy the company of a bunch of good friends.

The idea of opening a B&B was so tempting that Ada finally quit her job in the city to work on making her dream a reality. She spent four months looking for the ideal location， finally deciding on Mogan Mountain， and then spent another 15 months bringing her hotel off the drawing board and into life.

So far， Adas nine-room hotel has hosted over 1，000 guests from around the world. “The present life is everything I have dreamed of，” she said. “Life here is natural and free. I think thats why urban people love rural B&Bs.”

Fun and local life

Compared to Zhejiang， where B&Bs have seen a boom in recent years， this business had become popular earlier in some tourism destinations including Yunnan Province， Yangshuo in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region， and Lhasa in Tibet Autonomous Region.

Yang Liping， a renowned dancer in China， opened a B&B in 2009 in her hometown Dali in Yunnan Province. The Solar Palace， which has seven rooms， is always fully booked despite the relatively high price - about 4，000 yuan （$645.2） per night.

“Yang is my favorite dancer， and staying in her hotel is an enjoyment，” wrote Liu He， a guest， in a review of the hotel. “The hotel was uniquely designed with distinct features that you can easily tell are from Yang. It is worth the money for sure.”

B&B experiences， however， do not need to cost an arm and a leg. At Xie Ningruis Youduoduo B&B Hotel in Dali rates begin at less than 300 yuan （$48.4）.

Xie， who used to work in southeast Asia for about 10 years， quit her job as a company manager after visiting Yunnan. The provinces tranquility and stunning views lured her to stay.

“To open a B&B was not romantic，” said Xie. “Actually， it was far more difficult than I expected. It is very exhausting， as you have to get involved in every step， from the design to the construction and decoration and operation. If you dont love it strongly， you will not persist to the end.”

“Many travelers now are not satisfied with random sightseeing in a fresh place， and they want to know more about the life of local people，” said Xie. “B&B hotels are a very good choice.”

Sun Dongchun， the owner of a B&B in Yangshuo， Guangxi， said that the “slow life” is what attracts guests most. “Not idle slow， but fun slow，” Sun said.

Sun， who has spent most of his time since 2006 traveling， settled in 2014 in Yangshuo， where he rented and began renovating an abandoned building. After about one year， Suns B&B Dongyuan Mixiang was ready as a new destination for visitors to Yangshuo.

Sun named the hotel after his wife， whom he met while traveling in India. In Suns house， guests can cook by themselves and share food at the long dinner table in the lobby.

“Staying in a B&B， you can meet many friends from everywhere and share stories with them，” Sun said.“This is the charm of travel， which you can hardly get in a standard hotel.”