Nestled in nature

By Xu Junqian

Rustic homes in Mogan Mountain of Huzhou, Zhejiang province, offer visitors respite from the trappings of modernity. Provided to China Daily
Bucolic Huzhou area tempts urbanites with outdoor offerings

Driving up the road to Mogan Mountain south of Huzhou in Zhejiang province, you can easily spot eight red-brick houses that stand out from hundreds of others on the hillside. The sign marking the graveled path that leads to these farmhouses that make up the 395 Village displays colorful images of Chinese workers in the early revolutionary style.

The path is neatly maintained and free of plastic bottles or other travelers' trash that mar the many resorts and retreats in Zhejiang, one of the most highly industrialized provinces in China.

The front yard of the village is also free of the statues and faux rock formations that adorn many public areas throughout the country. The only prominent structure in the small open area is a washbasin that was originally a feed trough for livestock.

Maintaining the rustic feel of the area was the primary objective of Grant Horsfield when he began in 2007 to work on remodeling these farmhouses into bungalows, equipped with modern toilets and kitchens.

"I fell in love with the area on my first visit that year and made up my mind to build a holiday resort," says the former management consultant from South Africa.

Together with his wife, Horsfield spent $1 million (727,000 euros), including his own savings and money raised from friends and relatives, to lease eight of the 18 original farmhouses in the village, which got its name from the fact that at one time it was home to only three families of nine people. Now it is a resort complex, renamed Naked Retreat, that can accommodate 50 guests at any one time.

Business has been brisk, Horsfield says. In the peak seasons, usually during the various long vacation breaks such as Labor Day, National Day and Spring Festival, bookings of one to two months in advance are needed.

More than 10,000 travelers have stayed at the resort since its opening in late 2007. The occupation rate increased to about 50 percent in 2010 with a gross operating profit of more than 30 percent, which is high compared to other resorts located at even the most popular tourist sights in China.