Burgeoning B&B industry helping drive Chongming's development

The Orient G20 Flower Island B&B in Yongle Village of Miaozhen Town in Shanghai's Chongming District resumed operations on July 16.

That evening, an immersive play, "Flower Sea Movement," took center stage. With light beams on stage, "butterfly fairies" flocked to a purple sea of flowers. Led by the fairies, guests began a wonderful fairy-tale journey.

The play tells a series of butterfly fairy adventure stories in a fairy kingdom to save the king of the butterflies.

The performance was magnificent – smoky, beautiful, elegant and full of vitality. Guests were immersed in an interactive way. As a warm-up for the resumption of operations for the Orient G20 Flower Island B&B, the performance was a great success.

Ti Gong

For people who live in the hustle and bustle of urban life, the idyllic life of green mountains and serene waterways is a welcomed reprieve. As an important rural revitalization force, rural tourism is becoming a leisurely lifestyle, accelerating the transformation from a single rural business to a multi-service industry.

"We hope to play a part in the night economy, so we introduced the immersive stage play, 'Flower Sea Movement,'" said Zhu Guoqiang, head of the Orient G20 Flower Island B&B.

The Orient G20 B&B is tapping into a rural night economy model suitable for the local development of Chongming, integrating the beauty of wildlife with the sound of insects, starry skies and cool breezes.

Creating an immersive experience based on a more laid-back lifestyle may become a breakthrough for exploring rural tourism resources.

The Orient G20 B&B opened in 2021 and covers an area of around 15 hectares, integrating leisure, entertainment, accommodations and catering, surrounded by a purple sea of flowers.

Yongle Village is well-known as the "hometown of saffron," which dates back nearly 40 years. The village grows more than 30 hectares of saffron, with an annual income of more than 20 million yuan (US$3 million).

The village converted 15 abandoned buildings into 40 flower-themed B&Bs, providing much-needed jobs for locals.

It has hosted a tulip festival, motorcycle show and other activities to attract more tourists.

There are more than 1,000 B&Bs in Chongming, including more than 300 starred ones that are certified by the hospitality authority, most of which are fully booked during holidays.

Jiuju B&B in Zhongxing Town was one of the first Chongming B&Bs to resume operations after the COVID-19 lockdown. Jiuju's keeper Yin Liuqiong deals with many bookings and incoming calls every day.

"There are a lot of bookings and inquiries for B&Bs," Yin said. "At present, our occupancy rate is 100 percent."

Ti Gong

Ti Gong

Liu Qing, president of the Chongming B&B Association, believes the B&B business format has changed a great deal, and B&B operators must make upgrades.

"Nowadays, in addition to providing traditional short-term accommodation, we need to develop more long-term products to meet the growing demand," Liu said.

A team of 16 vacationing vloggers recently spent 50 days livestreaming at Shens' Garden B&B in Xinhe Town.

"While meeting the needs of customers, we have also found new business opportunities. We plan to launch long-term homestay products and are conducting channel tests to feel out consumers' needs," said Ying Zhen, keeper of Shens' Garden.

Liu said local B&Bs are developing rapidly, with innovative projects such as "B&B plus agriculture," "B&B plus camping" and "B&B plus cultural innovation."

On a recent weekend near Haitang Lake in Sanxing Town, groups of young people set up camping tents, outdoor tables and lawn chairs, while KOLs (key opinion leaders) sold local agricultural products via livestreaming.

Dongping National Forest Park has introduced ticket concessions, RV (recreational vehicle) camping and parent-child travel routes.

Chongming plans to build more B&B clusters by 2026.

Its renowned natural cuisine includes rice wine, cake, mutton and freshwater crab.

Projects to improve local transportation will include the under-construction Chongming rail line and the future Shanghai-Chongqing-Chengdu high-speed railway.

Ti Gong

Ti Gong

Ti Gong

Ti Gong

Ti Gong

Ti Gong