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 Ningrui’s 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 province’s 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 don’t 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, Sun’s 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 Sun’s 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.”

yuanyuan@bjreview.com