Adventurous travelers don’t need to stay at big chains – China has a booming boutique B&B scene.
Trendy, well-rated guest houses are run by young people who have converted family homes for mixed-use. After all, the job market for this demographic, especially fresh university graduates, is dismal. What’s the point of slaving away in big cities if you can be a business owner and operate a small B&B in the idyllic countryside instead?
It’s fun and eye-opening to stay at small lodgings across the country. One gets to hang out with the young owners and their friends, and play with their cherished dogs and cats, too. They are social-media savvy and glad to help.
On a recent trip to Guilin, our host showered us with tips on where to eat and what to see, and offered free rides to and from the train station. He was practically our tour guide.
EFFICIENT HIGH-SPEED RAILS
Speaking of the high-speed rails, local governments have built a massive debt pile building out infrastructure and are struggling to roll over their borrowings.
But there’s one social benefit: Travellers get to trek to remote corners of a huge country without wasting time on transportation.
High-speed rails in China are clean, fast and almost always on time, thanks to a bureaucracy obsessed with efficiency. Trains only make quick stops at stations – the check-in gate opens 15 minutes before departure and closes five minutes before, so you’d better be quick.
In many ways, China’s economy is the opposite of the West, in that consumers have all the bargaining power. iShowSpeed or not, China travel is cool again.
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