Secret Garden Jiuxian

[Randy W]

Some pictures from our recent stay at an 11 room hotel in Jiuxian near Yangshuo

http://www.yangshuosecretgarden.com/

Fengzi is Mandarin for 'Crazy Man' - which is what he (Ian Hamilton) was called while the Chinese watched him get his start on the plans for the hotel

 

The Secret Garden story began in 2009 when Fengzi decided to try & save from destruction a gorgeous Qing Dynasty courtyard house in Jiuxian Village, Yangshuo County. With the help of the Jiuxian Village Leader, after 5 months of negotiating with the 6 landlords, Fengzi managed to lease the property and a few days later leased an adjacent house that had all but fallen to the ground. Unfortunately the landlord's wanted the cash for the full 20 year lease up front which left Fengzi penniless and unable to renovate the buildings. He approached Faye with the idea of opening a hotel together which would hopefully generate income to lease and renovate further houses, thereby preserving a small segment of local Chinese history & culture. To date we have leased 5 buildings & completed the renovation of 4 of these.

 

The name Jiuxian is comprised of 2 characters: - meaning 'Ancient County', since the village used to be the county capital. The first village was built nearby during the Tang Dynasty (an ancient stone bridge from this period still exists), with the current village begun during the 15th century. During the Qing dynasty wealthy landlords built the impressive grey brick fortified houses that can be seen today. The mud brick farmhouses were built at a later date. Some buildings from the late 19th century (such as those we rented) are built over stone terraces from this earlier period.

 

 

Fengzi was one of the three expats covered by the SCMP in this article -

 

Three Expats in rural Guangxi

 

We didn't get to meet him. He apparently keeps a different schedule than we did (we slept from 10PM to 10AM the next morning), and lives in the next town. I think he usually drops by to greet those arriving or departing, but we drove our own car.

Edited November 14, 2016 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

The road

 

 

the entrance (on the left)

 

 

 

[Randy W]

Some shots I took inside the hotel

 

 

 

 

[Randy W]

 

 

 

[Randy W]

Our room was second floor, on the right

 

 

the room

 

 

 

. . . and an excellent black pepper sauce beef and cheese sandwich from their restaurant

 

[Randy W]

We hope to demonstrate through re-use the value of these buildings & the positive effect they can have on people''s lives. We first rented 2 houses & restore them to their former glory. These buildings we then used to generate money to rent and refurbish further houses. t the end of our lease period the houses will be returned to their owners who will hopefully see the new potential in their previously neglected buildings. During this process we also hope to inspire other people to follow this example and give a new lease of life to the ever dwindling collection of old buildings that remain.

 

We are therefore renovating these buildings using local labour and materials wherever possible and re-using materials from old buildings. A lot of the bricks, roof tiles, beams & wood boards are bought from places where old buildings have been demolished to make way for new ones. Fengzi teaches the local farmers the neccessary skills to use these materials & new ones to complete the renovation of the buildings.

[Allon]

Good catch, Randy. Really exposes the hidden China that escapes so many tourists. Very tempting to try and get there.

 

Good photography too.

[Randy W]

On 11/14/2016 at 5:10 PM, Randy W said:

Some pictures from our recent stay at an 11 room hotel in Jiuxian near Yangshuo

http://www.yangshuosecretgarden.com/

Fengzi is Mandarin for 'Crazy Man' - which is what he (Ian Hamilton) was called while the Chinese watched him get his start on the plans for the hotel

 

 

Fengzi was one of the three expats covered by the SCMP in this article -

 

Three Expats in rural Guangxi

 

We didn't get to meet him. He apparently keeps a different schedule than we did (we slept from 10PM to 10AM the next morning), and lives in the next town. I think he usually drops by to greet those arriving or departing, but we drove our own car.

 

 . . . and here is Fengzi

There are many attractions worth visiting in Guilin in addition to the Li River. Today we follow Ian Hamilton, who has lived in China for 20 years, to explore the beauty of Guilin.

There are many #attractions worth visiting in #Guilin in addition to the Li River. Today we follow Ian Hamilton, who has lived in #China for 20 years, to explore the beauty of Guilin. #travel #vlog #today

from Discover Guangxi China on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/DiscoverGuangxi/videos/2882945002006158/

[Randy W]

West Street (西街) is located right in the centre of Yangshuo, Guilin. At night, many bars of this street become the hub of people’s nightlife.

West Street (西街) is located right in the centre of Yangshuo, #Guilin. At night, many #bars of this street become the hub of people’s #nightlife. #vlog #traveling

from Discover Guangxi China on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/DiscoverGuangxi/videos/406480838012187