Ex-Chinese schoolteacher makes millions from guesthouses

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Rural tourism has attracted more and more city dwellers. But how can one offer a first-rate service to an urban traveler who wants to enjoy rural life while traveling around the country? Check out a 37-year-old woman in Shaoguan, in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, who runs more than a dozen rural holiday inns.

Lighting an incense stick and making a cup of tea, Fu Xiaomi is having a moment to herself at her own guest house. Fu used to teach English at a local school but she quit her job eight years ago. She knew it was the right time to get her foot in the door of the guesthouse business.

Fu Xiaomi talks about her guesthouse business with a CGTN reporter. /CGTN Photo

"I like traveling a lot, and I always dreamed of opening my own guesthouse," she says. "I used to be a teacher but got tired of the routine lifestyle and wanted to do something I like. In 2010, Danxia Mountain was named as a natural world heritage site and I thought it was a golden opportunity. We opened the first guest house two months before the park was honored."

But as an old Chinese saying goes, everything is hard at the beginning. Fu encountered tremendous difficulties with her first and second properties. She had to learn from scratch by reading books on decoration and renovation. Eventually, she found the key to sustaining her business: always cater to the travelers' needs.

Guesthouses in the Danxia Mountain area. /CGTN Photo

"For example, people in the city want to relax their mind and body when they visit Danxia. So we designed this guesthouse with the theme of Zen. We use simple but elegant colors, wooden furniture, and carved out a space for calligraphy," Fu says.

Now, she runs more than a dozen guesthouses in Danxia Mountain, 40 percent of those in the area. They range from guesthouses for artists, book lovers and families, to even bigger groups like companies. Her company has made millions. She enjoys meeting new guests, some of whom even became her partners.

"I believe the purpose of a guesthouse is not just to provide travelers with a nice place to stay. It's about providing a holistic experience for city people, like authentic rural food, fresh air, farming culture and rural tourism."

Fu calls that the extension of the industry chain. Her ambition is to open more guesthouses in Danxia, each with a unique theme. More importantly, she wants to change people's perception about the countryside and fulfill various needs for rural tourism.

(Cover: Fu Xiaomi at her guest house. /CGTN Photo)