Olympic homestays open door to Beijing life
14/7/2008 16:51
Zhu Baohua beamed proudly as he showed a group of American visitors a
century-old wooden bed in his house.
Zhu, in his fifties, is the owner of a
siheyuan, a traditional courtyard home in downtown Beijing. He was among 598
Beijing homeowners selected as an Olympic host by the city tourism
administration on Friday.
The administration initiated the homestay program
in April, offering overseas visitors a chance to get to the heart of the Beijing
life.
As a supplement to the city's hotels, these households could offer 726
rooms for more than 1,000 visitors, said Xiong Yumei, deputy director of Beijing
Tourism Administration.
Most of the families lived near major stadiums, trunk
roads, cultural sites and hutongs, or alleyways, making it easy for visitors to
enjoy the capital, Xiong said.
Before selecting the families, officials
inspected ventilation, lighting, fire safety and sanitation conditions to make
sure they met requirements.
Officials recommended rates at 60 to US$80 for
each bed per night, but said individual rates could be negotiated between the
visitors and the landlords.
For Beijing natives like Zhu, hosting overseas
tourists is not only a chance to make a little cash, but also a chance to share
his culture.
Zhu's house was bought by his family in the early 1900s. In
2004, he spent more than 4 million yuan (US$579,710) on
renovations:"westernizing" the toilet, installing air conditioning and
high-definition televisions.
"The whole family are learning the history of
siheyuan and hutong. We are professional tour guides now," Zhu said. He also
invited his nephews, nieces and their friends who speak English to translate for
visitors.
Yesterday, the Zhu family received dozens of foreign tourists who
come to see the home.
"In your constitution, you have the pursuit of
happiness. Although our cultures are different, we do have a lot in common," a
nephew, Zhao Dongyan, told some US visitors, pointing to a red Chinese character
"Fu", which translates to blessing or happiness.
"I'm improving my English,
so that I can explain better when more visitors come during the Olympics," said
Zhao, a new college graduate.
Like the Zhu family, other hosts are preparing
to receive guests.
Wang Zhixi, in her fifties, owns a smaller siheyuan near
Zhu's. She and her husband are seizing every chance to learn English so that
they can tell foreigners about siheyuan.
"My guests ask a lot of questions
about siheyuan. For example, they asked why homes were built in all four
directions in such crowded spaces," she said. "I told them Chinese families like
to live together and it's a way of seeking calm and tranquility in a noisy
world."
Wang also had experience hosting overseas visitors. She is currently
hosting a French reporter with her 11-month-old son and her mother.
"I try to
take good care of my guests in the way that I care for my son, who now works in
Canada. I hope they feel the warmth and kindness of the Chinese people," she
said.
Apartment onwers are also ready to share: making Jiaozi, introducing
guests to local delicacies, explaining why the elderly like to keep grasshoppers
and birds, or expounding complex theories like Fengshui.
"The accommodations
don't have the luxury of a hotel, but they are sure part of genuine Beijing
life," said Ron Rice, from Washington D.C..
Beijing's tourism authority said
travel agencies from Japan, the United States, Canada, Chile and Singapore had
considered renting rooms from these families during the Games.
But due to the
short marketing time, visa problems and transportation, most of the homestay
guests would probably be Asians, said Zhao Xin, director of the Olympic Program
of the China International Travel Service.
Those interested could apply at
their home travel agencies, he added.
The city expects to see more than
500,000 overseas visitors over the Olympics, and hotels prices are up to four
times higher than usual for the time of year.
The city has a total of 660,000
visitor beds. By Friday, about 78 percent of the five-star hotels were booked,
but less than half of hotels with four stars or fewer were reserved, said the
tourism administration.
Staff with the www.Chinahomestay.org, which plans to
recruit 350 host families for a four-week period surrounding the Olympics, said
they had been seeing an increase in demand.
"Many visitors who come to China
don't want to live alone, and they want to communicate with the local people,"
said a woman at Chinahomestay.org who gave her name as Chen.
Xinhua
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