BEIJING, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Wooden doors and windows, glass ceilings, white walls, trees in the yard and a stunning view of the nearby mountains and forests...
These are some features of the envisioned B&B by designer Chen Xiao, who would like to turn a dilapidated house in a village of Luxi County in southeast China's Jiangxi Province into a stylish and premium mini-hotel with local cultural elements.
Chen was one of the winners of a rural B&B design contest initiated by the local government, which aims to boost rural tourism through the introduction of landmark B&Bs that are hoped to become popular travel and lodging destinations.
China's first rural B&B came into being in 1986, when a local farmer in southwest China's Sichuan Province used his own newly built house to entertain visitors, which later became known as "agritainment," a popular and inexpensive lodging choice to experience rural life and a key driver for rural tourism.
After over 30 years of development, the increasing consumption power and rising aesthetic standards of Chinese travellers, the young generations and middle-class in particular, are driving the rural B&B sector to undergo a facelift.
Rural B&Bs should stay away from becoming simple hotel rooms as well as upgraded versions of agritainment farmhouses, according to Luo Shugang, head of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MCT).
"Rustic features are no longer enough, as there should also be a modern feel," said Li Yaying, CEO of Beijing-based Duo Meihao, a village cultural and tourism industry chain service provider. "A popular rural B&B should be as clean as a hotel, as stylish as a villa, and as cozy as one's home."
An industrial report released earlier this year showed that China's B&B market is going high-end with many chain brands coming to the fore. More and more B&Bs which combine rustic beauty and modern comfort report room rates that can rival top local hotels.
The growing premium B&B market has attracted many players including designers and hoteliers to grab a bite, with emerging brands such as Yuanshe and Banbian Shanxia.
"Our project is something like a premium version of Airbnb that offers selected choices for holidaymakers," said Nie Jianping, an architect who has developed his own lodging brand and opened retreats in rural Yunnan and Jiangxi.
B&Bs sprung up in villages after the Chinese government unveiled guidelines to vitalize rural areas in 2018, as an increasing number of urban dwellers tend to spend their weekends or holidays in the countryside.
China encourages qualified market players to run rural B&B brands in chain operation, and calls for sharing the market's growth with local villagers and pushing local environmental protection via green development, according to the MCT.
