China Travel: Chengdu's B&Bs a small slice of traditional living
Chengdu’s countless Nong Jia Le seal the city’s reputation as both a leisure haven and the fulcrum of economic development in western China. The Nong Jia Le, which translates literally as "Country House Fun, is Chengdu’s version of the bed and breakfast inn – a relaxing, beautiful escape from city life, replete with the best of Sichuan’s easy-living traditions.
Not only can the newly affluent of this rapidly growing city of 8 million people enjoy time away from the stifling confines of the office, but in providing their urban counterparts with these accommodations, the suburban and rural Chengdunese can make good money while maintaining their traditional lifestyle.
More and more foreigners are settling in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, and taking advantage of the local past-times, such as spending an afternoon or a weekend at a Nong Jia Le. Signs in some of the larger bed and breakfast districts around the city have both Korean and English writing and English menus are also available at some locations. There is currently no organized, current source of information for Nong Jia Le around the city for foreigners to access -- the best way is to ask at your hotel or local travel service and they should be able to set up transportation for you. There are hundreds and hundreds of Nong Jia Le around Chengdu so you should always be able to get a table (and a bed of you want), the key is to know where they are and which ones are "ready" to accept foreigners.
A case in point is the village of Nong Ke, nestled in Pixian County, located 20 km (about 10 miles) west of Chengdu. This village is considered the first to develop the Nong Jia Le business model and definitely the first to coin the term. In the late 1980s, Nong Ke villagers began moving away from vegetable and rice farming and turned to flowers – roses, lilies, plum blossoms, orchids – and transformed their terraced fields into row upon row of colorful fragrant flowers. There are flowers for every season here: in spring the peach, pear and cherry trees are blossoming and crowds of people book afternoons at one of the village's inns; in summer one of the greatest attractions is a local flower called "7-Li Xiang," which means "Fragrant for 7 miles," this flower blankets the countryside like a drug with its heady, fresh floral scent. It is easy to forget what time and place you came from while drinking tea and inhaling blossoms for day in Nong Ke village.
Nong Ke village B&Bs generally charge $8-$12 per person to stay the night there, which includes tea and breakfast, but lunch and dinner are usually paid for separately. A good mean here -- home cooked and filling -- will cost roughly $4-$5 per person, definitely a good deal and many people are taking advantage of it.
The business proved so successful that the villagers were compelled to offer their homes and kitchens to customers who wanted the experience of choosing and buying flowers and enjoying a cup of tea and countryside fare. Nong Ke Village now has an annual per capita income of RMB40,000 (5,800 in US) and the initial pioneers have now moved from their old homes into large villas. One proprietor in particular has built three villas around his property, one for each of his sons, and a park with a pagoda and a small lake.
The meteoric rise in living standards mirrored the explosive demand for Chengdu-style bed and breakfasts and soon counties in every direction began opening their homes and gardens to visitors from the big cities of China. Du Jiang Yan, in the northern part of the city, is a favorite for many locals, providing mountain scenery, Taoist history, excellent food and comfortable accommodations.
The effect this developmental model has had on all facets of the suburban Chengdunese lifestyle cannot be underestimated. A typical Nong Jia Le displays traditional Chinese architecture and feng shui: gardens are immaculately maintained, often housing many dozens of crafted plants and small trees, fountains, pagodas and walkways. Emphasis is placed on an experience devoid of all kinds of pollution and filled with sensations from China’s past. Paintings and poems hang on the walls, bamboo walkways, stone bridges and wooden arches that span the gardens. The food is often prepared from ingredients plucked from the very same gardens.
Nothing could prevent the encroachment of pollution into the Sichuan countryside more than an ever-growing demand for natural living from the rich citizens of the city. Farmers who once would have welcomed a factory, highway or other such development now spend their efforts maintaining what they have always had.
"We are never really sure what the government is going to do," said Lao Wei, who owns three B&Bs in Xing Fu Mei Lin. "But we do know that if we can make a profit with our land, our produce and our environment, then the chances of the government demolishing our homes in order to build a factory are slim. What we have is beautiful and I want to stay here, I want my children to stay here."
With the advent of riches and development, the proprietors of Nong Jia Le also have gained power and influence over the course of development within their own lives.
In the east side of the city lies one of the largest and most impressive Nong Jia Le in the area, Xing Fu Mei Lin (which means Joyous Plum Blossom Forest), in the Jinjiang district of Chengdu city, a perfect example of cooperation between local villagers, government and the private sector.
Xing Fu Mei Lin is comprised of six different villages on the outskirts of Chengdu and covers an area of roughly two square miles. This development actually brought together several separate Nong Jia Le under one administrative body and linked them up with roads and small paths. The place gets its name from the forests of plum trees that bloom in winter. The small yellow plum blossoms have a strong aroma that lasts for as long as two months. Visitors brave the chilly Chengdu winter to sit out on the veranda with a cup of hot tea in a cocoon of
Hundreds of homes in Xing Fu Mei Lin offer bed and breakfast services. The park is connected by carts that ferry visitors from the lakes, through the flower gardens, across bridges to a series of cozy teahouses and finally land on the outside patio of some fine Sichuan-style kitchen. Vast flower growing enterprises, including Speedling from the USA, provide high-grade flowers and plants of every persuasion for locals, wholesalers on China’s eastern seaboard, and customers worldwide.
Locals are given the option to invest in any enterprise, from the construction of a new bridge or garden to the establishment of a new flower growing enterprise, increasing not only the financial security of the locals, but also allowing them a say in matters of development.
Xing Fu Mei Lin plans to expand even further, playing host to flower exhibitions and conventions as well as claiming more land for more homes and gardens to meet the demand – a demand that has spilled out of Sichuan Province and infected Chinese from Beijing, Shanghai, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong as well as Japanese, Koreans and a tiny but growing number of Westerners.
Sichuan’s tourism industry has taken a cue from the success of Chengdu city’s mom-and-pop operations and has started developing tourist spots with an eye for long-term maintenance, environmental protection and local participation. According to Dr. Yin Kaipu of the Chengdu Institute of Biology and a long-time champion if sustainable development, only through this model can Sichuan develop a sustainable tourism industry that will make the most out of its ample resources while preserving that which makes this area of China special.
Sidebar
Nong Jia Le dot the outskirts of Chengdu. All along the Third Ring Road teahouses and gardens offer up peace and tranquility, food and drink, accommodation and private rooms. Nong Ke Village, in Pixian county is a small and cozy collection of flowers and homes while Xing Fu Mei Lin, in the JingJiang district, is a sprawling complex of beauty and relaxation with various services and products – including a locally produced plum blossom tea.
If either of those two fail to meet your needs, there are hundreds more waiting to be discovered, to the south in Huayang district near the new Convention Center, to the west between the Second and Third Ring Roads, to the east near Tazi Shan park and to the north towards DuJiangYan around Qing Cheng Mountain, one of the oldest Taoist mountains in China. There is currently no organized list of Nong Jia Le in the area, so in order to find one your best bet is to head to one of the established ones listed below, then ask for more information.
Like a typical bed and breakfast inn, Nong Jia Le are often run by a family, provide home-cooked meals and local tea, comfortable and private accommodation and, most important, a view obscured only by pollen from the flowers and the stalks of a bamboo grove.
Nong Ke Village
You Ai Town
Pixian County
Tel: 028-87935999
Xin Fu Mei Lin
Hong Sha Village
San Sheng Boulevard
Jin Jiang District
Tel: (028)84791858