Change of scene

"The epidemic will be over eventually, and I believe things will get better," Zhang says.

When Wuhan became the frontline for China's fight against the virus with medical teams from around the country arriving to provide support, Zhang offered his places to medical personnel for free until they left in March.

To survive, he later signed long-term lease with tenants who needed a place for work or quarantine purposes.

Zhang saw the ray of light when the city's lockdown was lifted on April 8.

"Basically, I made ends meet in May and have started to make a profit since June," Zhang says.

To date, most of Zhang's customers are staying two to three nights, which is typical of traveler behavior, he says.

He now works with lodging and short-term vacation rental provider Airbnb and the country's largest on-demand service platform Meituan Dianping, and has developed tourism services to complement his homestay operations.

"I've opened an inn in Enshi, and developed a tourism route connecting it to Wuhan," Zhang says.

Zhang is optimistic about the future.