Putting their heart into their home

After Mymory's opening in October 2019, the homestay became an online hit after guests shared their experiences on social media.

It didn't take long before she realized that her income was twice that of her previous job. Her husband also quit his job to focus on the homestay.

However, when the pandemic began, the couple shut the business down.

The first group of guests they welcomed back to the property turned out to be a commercial photography team, which came to the area to shoot advertisement and business publicity videos.

More visitors followed and soon overwhelmed the capacity of Mymory, so, Li has begun referring inquiring tourists to her neighbors.

The move has helped those locals to raise their annual income by 300,000-500,000 yuan ($46,410-77,350).

Since Li's homestay won the international award, local villagers have come to visit. Li says it gives her great pleasure to develop a relationship with the people in the village.

"The longer I stay here, the more I feel it was the right choice to come back, and this is more meaningful than making money," she says.

Li has bought exercise equipment for the village residents, including a table tennis table, a treadmill and a rowing machine.

She also built a pond and allows locals to go fishing for free.

Her homestay also offers job opportunities, which have lured many young people to come back to the village.

Li sends their 4-year-old son to a kindergarten in the village.

"The teachers here are very nice and patient, and the rural environment is great for him to get in touch with nature," Li says, adding that, even when her son reaches primary school age, he can go to a school in downtown Lin'an, which is just half an hour away from her homestay.

"In the past, I always felt that everything in a big city was good, but village life has let me taste more opportunities," Li says.