Hoteliers tap into astronomic interest

As stargazing becomes increasingly popular in Beijing, the city's suburban areas, where there is a better natural environment and clearer skies than downtown, are seeing flocks of visitors, happy to pay big money for the experience of being blanketed by stars at night.

Yang Dong, general manager of Daxishui Xiyuan Homestay in northeastern Pinggu district, has been running such a business for nearly two years.

"I started to realize that stargazing has become a hot trend last summer, when our hotel rooms were booked up for the whole of July and August," Yang explained.

"Most of our guests came to the homestay for camping and enjoying the astronomy-themed events."

Yang, who has worked in the commercial real estate industry for 10 years, took up his current management position in early 2021.

The homestay, which was transformed from a previous high-end hotel, opened to the public in 2020, aimed at providing a natural environment with mountains and lakes for guests.

Seeing the soaring demand for stargazing in the capital, the homestay has swiftly seized the opportunity by raising 20 "star tents" in its open outdoor area last year.