Experience nature

Another homestay host, Zhang Beidi, 30, who runs her business in Jiuxian village, Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, is trying to draw guests with a special travel experience. She had moved to the village from a city to enjoy nature and concentrate on her music in October 2018.

"The house I rented was too big for myself, so I figured why not share it," she says.

She takes her guests on guided tours of the village. "I take them for hiking and spelunking, and we visit local rural fairs."

Her guests can also watch her and her band play, she adds.

Zhang Beidi uses freshly picked wildflowers to decorate her homestay and treats her guests to homemade osmanthus tea. Some of her guests have returned to stay with her more than once, she says.