Businessman builds dream hotel at foot of mountains

Boutique hotel Yun House retains the original architectural details and many decorative features of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. Photo by Li Jing/For chinadaily.com.cn

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The six buildings are enclosed in a stone-walled courtyard, crisscrossed by flagstone trails. They have traditional two-story structures, with two guestrooms on each floor and a living room on the ground floor. Two small windows are in the ceiling, lighting the rooms in daylight and offering the romance of stargazing at night. Natural material was highly desired in the renovations and outfitting, from pottery decorations to room sandals of straw and tissue boxes woven from bamboo.

Keys to the hotel's 22 rooms are attached to tree-branch room cards.

"I collected Y-shaped branches from the surrounding mountains, drew the outline, shaved little by little and then carved room numbers on them," Qu said with a sparkle in his eyes.

Qu's sensitivity to nature has its roots in his childhood. He was born in a village near Harbin, Heilongjiang province, and said that, after he built a successful business in Shanghai, he often remembered the pleasant days and idyllic life in the country. Eight years ago, he started hiking the countryside.

"On the road, I met some foreigners, whose hospitalities impressed me. Usually, they smile and say 'hi' to strangers. It made me feel warm when I was backpacking alone on the road. I wanted to know more about them and tended to choose the accommodations which they preferred, and then an idea came of age and I wanted to host a hotel of that kind," Qu said.