Homestay is where the heart is

With his home recently refurbished, Cheng Shuchu, head of the household at Expo Homestay No 1, is greeting guests from around the world arriving for Expo 2010 Shanghai. He has even designed postcards to hand out to his guests as souvenirs.

"There are 46 households in our community selected as Expo homestays. Each family has a special skill, such as calligraphy or vegetarian cooking. The postcards are my skill to impress guests," said Cheng.

After retiring from teaching at Shanghai Beijiao Middle School, Cheng took up photography as a hobby and soon became a big fan. He creates his postcards by using pictures he took on his travels around China.

"Not all the pictures are taken by myself. Some of them are downloaded from the Internet. And it took me a couple of months to complete the work," Cheng said. "Although the postcards aren't worth much money, they are unique because you won't find them anywhere else."

Cheng was the first to apply for the Expo homestay program in his community and received his first guests last September. Surprised but also honored, Cheng and his family took their selection as a blessing.

"We never expected that. We just considered it a good chance to show visitors the life of Shanghainese and contribute to the Expo," said Cheng.

Cheng lives in the Linfen community, near Pengpu Xincun Station on Metro Line 1. This means Cheng's guests can easily travel anywhere within the city. The area around Cheng's home is typically Shanghai, but at the same time, it is a retreat from the hustle and bustle of the city, making it ideal for overseas visitors.

To better serve their guests, householders selected for the Expo homestay program took training courses, ranging from language to catering lessons, Cheng said.

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"As most of the Expo homestay householders are seniors like me, it is impossible to ask us to speak fluent English. But daily conversations are now a piece of cake. As to something more complicated, Expo volunteers will be here to help," Cheng said.

Shortly after being told that his home was selected, Cheng started refurbishing. To ensure a comfortable stay, he has left the larger bedroom to the guests.

"Actually, we are happy to have the chance to give a brand new look to the house where we have lived for 10 years. The furniture in the main bedroom is new and we have arranged it to be like a standard hotel room. It cost us about 50,000 yuan ($7,300) to do the refurbishment," he said.

A room of about half size of the guest room will be the couple's bedroom during the Expo.

"There are rumors saying we were paid to do this, but that is not true. We are doing all this of our own accord, neither asking for or receiving any money," said Cheng. "The Expo to me is like an event held once in a thousand years. And I am very glad to witness this in my lifetime. I am honored to be part of it."