Going rural, a new trend for Chinese urbanites

GUIYANG -- Having lived in the city for years, retiree Pi Yu wants to escape the endless flow of cars, concrete high-rises and the fast-paced life.

"I've lived in the city for too long. I want to relax and go back to the countryside," said the 57-year-old who teaches at a vocational school in Guizhou province, in Southwest China.

Pi now lives in a village house 65 km from Guiyang, capital of Guizhou, where her urban residence is. She grows Chinese roses, orchids, and osmanthus flowers and farms her own vegetables in the idyllic water town.

She did not buy the house, however, as lands in villages are collectively owned. Unlike urban apartments, rural houses are not publically traded.

In 2018, she joined a program launched by a village tourism company that transforms decrepit rural houses into hotels.

She invested 200,000 yuan (about $29,800) and the company helped her secure a loan of an equal sum. In exchange, she can live in one of the rooms for free for 20 years, farm the land, and share the hotel dividends.

"The people in the city have the money, the farmers have vacant houses and the company offers services in hotel management -- a win-win-win situation," said Xiao Jintao, vice manager of Guizhou Shuidong Village Housing Tourism Company.

China's urbanization rate reached 60 percent by the end of 2018, with over 830 million people now living in the cities. As people move into cities, around 20 percent of the old houses in the countryside are left vacant, Xiao said, based on an investigation of villages in Guizhou.

"These rural houses are an excellent retreat for people who are bored living in cities and desire a more rural lifestyle," Xiao said.

Under the company's scheme, each investor puts in around 30,000 to 150,000 dollars to turn vacant houses into hotel rooms. The three parties divide the earnings. When the lease expires in 20 years, the hotel ownership is returned to the farmers.

Pi renovated a 40-year-old house in Longguang Village. She kept backyard rooms which were used to make bricks and cure tobacco for what she calls a cool weekend town feel. "It was a major facelift. The house looked like an ugly maid. Now it is as charming as Snow White," she said.

In Kaiyang County, over 80 investors like Pi have renovated 120 houses. Local banks offered loans to finance the renovation and tourism infrastructure spending. Booming rural tourism brought handsome earnings for the investors.

"In the last six months, each investor received around 20,000 yuan, and the farmers got 6,000 yuan each," said Xiao.

Villager Chen Huasong is a participant of the program. He moved into the county with his son and his old house was used to store firewood.

"I tried renting out my 12 rooms before, but I didn't know that guests would need slippers. There were no TVs nor independent bathrooms. People just stopped coming," he said.

Now hotel owners manage their properties through an app. Lodgers spend around 198 yuan to 268 yuan ($29 to $40) a night. Last year, five restaurants were opened in the village, creating more than 50 jobs for villagers.

In Guizhou, most villages are accessible in a quick three to five-hour drive, said Li Shiyong, head of the Kaiyang County government.

The county will continue to seek out old houses for renovation. "It is a great way to attain rural revitalization," he said.