The Gift of Time at Qianhuang Bay

Anthony Bourdain once said you learn a lot about someone when you share a meal together. Sitting at a dinner table at Qianhuang Bay Homestay in Zhejiang Province, that idea couldn’t have felt more true. Even though we didn’t share the same language, the evening was filled with laughter, toasts, and small gestures that made it clear I was welcome. It was one of those rare moments where connection happened naturally—through smiles, shared food, and simply choosing to be present with one another. 

In this conversation, I sit down with Zhu Xiaokui, the founder of Qianhuang Bay, to talk about why he chose to return to his hometown in Xiling Village and open his home to travelers. We talk about building something meaningful in the place you come from, the role community plays in shaping the future of a village, and why success for him isn’t measured by recognition—but by family being together, neighbors supporting one another, and the time we give to the people around us.

Episode Highlights

[00:00] – A dinner table in Zhejiang Province and why Anthony Bourdain’s words about sharing a meal felt especially true that night.

[01:08] – Navigating a language barrier while sitting around the table—and realizing that connection can happen through smiles, gestures, and shared moments.

[02:30] – A night of toasts, laughter, and hospitality that made a foreign place feel unexpectedly like home.

[05:22] – The story behind Qianhuang Bay Homestay, built to preserve the surrounding landscape while welcoming travelers into village life.

[07:22] – Zhu Xiaokui explains why he returned to Xiling Village after working in the city and chose to build something in the place he calls home.

[10:07] – How cooperation between homestays transformed the village into a network of more than 30 family-run stays working together rather than competing.

[13:14] – What travelers can experience throughout the seasons—from harvesting tea in the mountains to exploring rivers, forests, and local traditions.

[16:52] – The story of Qianhuang Well and the local legend connected to Emperor Qianlong.

Links & Resources

• This episode is sponsored by China Eastern Airlines, who supported my travel for this journey. You can learn more about their routes and destinations at us.ceair.com

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Transcript

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Setting The Table For Connection

SPEAKER_03 0:00

Anthony Bourdain once said that you learn a lot about someone when you share a meal together. I didn't speak the same language as the people at this table, and somehow I've never felt more welcome.

SPEAKER_02 0:14

Everyone has a story to tell. We connect and relate to one another when we share our stories. My name is Emilia Owen, and I'm your host of Voices of Inspiration. Join me as I share stories of friends, family, and strangers in my everyday life and travels. We will laugh, possibly cry, or walk away connected more than ever to those around you and ready to be the change our world needs. Everyone has a story to tell. What's yours?

SPEAKER_03 0:46

If you're new here, welcome. And if you've been listening for a while, thank you so much for being part of this space. This episode is one I have been looking forward to sharing with you. And if it stays with you, I hope that you'll consider following the podcast or leaving a review. It helps these stories reach people who might need them.

Arriving In Zhejiang’s Homestay

SPEAKER_03 1:08

Now I want to take you to a table in Zhejiang Province. That quote from Anthony Bourdain couldn't have felt more true at the homestay, Qianhuang Bay. One thing I've mentioned in other episodes about my travels through Zhejiang Province is the language barrier. It's something that you definitely become aware of pretty quickly, but at this homestay, I don't think that I've ever felt so at home somewhere when the only way we could communicate was through smiles, gestures, and the occasional bit of translation. It can be incredibly uncomfortable to sit around a table where everyone is talking and laughing, and you have no idea what everyone's saying. There's a moment where you definitely feel like an outsider. But here, that never happened. The owner of this homestead, Ju Xiao Kwei, was sitting at the table with us that night. And he sat right next to me the entire evening. And he made sure that I felt included. Anytime something was said that made the table just erupt in laughter, he would kind of look over at me and laugh too, as if to say, you're part of this. And we laughed constantly the entire night. Sometimes because we understood each other and sometimes because we didn't. His wife also made sure that I felt welcome. She had prepared the entire meal and dish after dish came out. And every time she said something in front of us, she smiled really big. And one thing that I noticed during my travels to China was that every woman of the house wanted to make sure that I was fed. It kind of felt like their love language. At one point, she hugged me, and it felt like the kind of hug that you give your family, even though I had just met her. We shared drinks throughout the night, and toasting became our shared language. Cheers was one of the only words we could all say together. So we said it a lot. Someone would raise a glass, cheers, and then laughter. And then a few minutes later, another toast. Cheers, more laughter. And then again and again. At some point, it just became a joke,

Laughter, Customs, And Constant Toasts

SPEAKER_03 3:41

but also something more. We kept choosing that moment, lifting our glasses, looking at one another, smiling. It was a way to connect without needing translation. Every toast felt like a small agreement. We're here together, and that's enough. And I tell you, I had so much fun that night. Later, I learned that in China, how you hold your glass during a toast is important. You're meant to drink with your right hand and often support the glass underneath with your left hand as a sign of respect, especially when someone else is giving a toast. And I didn't know every custom that night, but I was definitely watching and I was paying attention and I was trying. Mr. Jew also presented us with gifts during the dinner, which was incredibly thoughtful and unexpected and just so sincere. It was so personal. And I just felt really welcome, despite the language barrier, despite how different our lives are. He felt like someone I would genuinely want to spend time with, someone I could sit across from again, share another meal with, and laugh just as much. Especially if we were cheersing through the whole night.

Why This Place Feels Like Home

SPEAKER_03 5:02

After that dinner, it made sense to me why this place feels the way it does. It's not just a homestay created by someone trying to recreate rural life for travelers. It's a home built by someone who never left it behind.

Mr. Zhu’s Vision And Leadership

SPEAKER_03 5:21

Before we really get into the interview with Mr. Ju, I wanted to share a bit of context about the area and who you're about to hear from. Chanhuang Bay opened in April of 2016, and the homestead was designed to preserve the original mountain landscape and countryside, keeping the natural environment intact while carefully renovating the space using stone and eco-friendly wood. From the beginning, there was a clear focus on sustainability and respect for the land. This was also the first homestay established in Shiling Village. Mr. Ju isn't just someone who opened his home to travelers. He currently serves as president of the Yuang District Homestay, an agritourism association, and holds leadership and advisory roles at both district and provincial levels. More importantly, he's played a driving role in helping others do the same. Over the years, he has guided villagers interested in opening their own homestays, sharing his experience and resources. Because of that effort, She Ling Village is now home to more than 30 thriving homestays, with tourism continuing to grow in a way that supports the entire community. His work has been recognized many times, and I was in complete awe at the awards aligning the walls there at the Homestay. He has been named a national rural culture and tourism leader and been honored for his contributions to rural revitalization. But as you'll hear in this conversation, his definition of success is not about titles or recognition. It's about family being

Family Operation And Rural Revitalization

SPEAKER_03 7:12

together, about neighbors supporting one another, and about choosing to build something meaningful without losing the heart of where it comes from.

SPEAKER_01 7:21

My name is Ju Sao Kwe, and from Zhezan Province. And my name is Jo Na. You can call me Joanna. I'm the translator. Can you start off by telling me a little bit about your homestay and what you have here to offer? From 2015, I began to set up this homestead. One year later, the homestead is open for everyone. And to me, this homestead actually, this is the uh we have the whole family for operation this homestead and uh four generations involving. Here I want to uh especially explain the homestead in Chinese. We literally we translate as min su. So that is our home, the farmer's home, because I am a totally native here.

SPEAKER_03 8:19

So, with that said, what moved you to open your home to travelers and what does this place represent to you?

SPEAKER_01 8:33

In 2014, uh in China there is uh very um it's very important policy that is about how to develop the beautiful village, yeah, and how to modernize or how to develop the rural development. At the very beginning, I also worked in the cities, and my family members, my daughter, my sons also worked there outside in different places. And uh uh now I think in our village, you know in my hometown, the fresh air, the natural beauty, and uh the rivers, the mountains, even the Xinjiang Mountains are so beautiful and so attractive to the tourists. So we choose to come back, come back to our hometown. And I also invited my family member, um, everyone involved in this operation of the Thames Day. And you you see now we are so happy. We live a happy life because we we can see each other every day.

SPEAKER_03 9:42

That's really important. That's actually very special. I wish more people um would embrace

Corporate Retreats And Shared Resources

SPEAKER_03 9:49

this. This is also a great space for businesses to meet. And so can you talk a little bit about what you have to offer for corporations to have their meetings here?

SPEAKER_01 10:06

Yes, we can focus on different um uh demands of the corporation for how many people and how long you want to stay, and I can uh design the tourist tree for you. And if you want to have uh several meeting rooms here, if I cannot offer enough rooms for you, I can ask for other homestays in our village to share because nowadays share the resources is very important uh for all the homestays in this village with just uh like a team. Yeah. That's good that you could work together. It's not competition. For me, I I'm getting rich is not enough. I want to help others, all the villages um getting rich. So uh if I if the companies or corporations come here, we can share everything. For example, if you are good at coffee and you come, if you are you have enough um living rooms and you you can offer, and if you are good at barbecue, you just offer such kind of service. So um sharing is very, very important. And I feel great to be the leader. I can help others.

SPEAKER_03 11:28

Has welcoming guests from around the world changed the way you see your own culture or community? Has it given you a greater appreciation?

SPEAKER_01 11:42

When I mean the homestay, I feel so happy because for what I'm doing. And uh for everyone come to my homestay, I will try to make friends with you, I will free talk, chat, and uh share anything I want to say. So everyone come here um will feel

Year-Round Village Activities

SPEAKER_01 12:05

so great in my homestead, and I so do I.

SPEAKER_03 12:09

Is there a moment that you can think of that an interaction with a guest that reminded you of this is why I'm doing this?

SPEAKER_01 12:23

Uh caution that well, you know, in my village, I am the first one, the first homestead. And I feel so proud and I feel so great that um I can tell others to join in this big plan. Nowadays, so far, there are more than 30 homestays in our village. I feel so proud of that. That's incredible. 30. 30.

SPEAKER_03 12:55

He's the first one. Amazing. That's really amazing. Can you talk a little bit about what travelers can do in this area? So if a traveler is staying here at this home stay, what are some of the things in the community that they can do?

SPEAKER_01 13:14

I can offer a whole year to put the activities in different seasons. For example, um, you know, in the earliest in the early spring, you can do the making tea. Yeah, experience that and go climbing the tea mountains. And uh in spring, you can also to dig the bamboo shit in the forest in summer for kids, for children. They can come here to play in the streams and the rivers in autumn. Uh, there is also a lot of things to do, for example, just uh having tea and to have the stuff, cooking, something like that. And in winter, even you can go hiking in the snowy mountains. Oh, it snows here. I did not know that. It's snowy in winter. Oh wow. Especially on the top of the Xing Shan Mountain. I don't get I don't get snow where I live.

SPEAKER_03 14:22

Every year. Amazing. When you think about the future of this homestay in this village, what do you hope happens?

SPEAKER_01 14:32

The future I hope the villagers

Hopes For The Future And A Guiding Motto

SPEAKER_01 14:35

can share or you can uh think about um using your available rooms in your house to operate or to run a homestay. And uh uh through that you can be, you know, make money or run a better business to become more and more richer, I mean become richer and richer. One more question.

SPEAKER_03 15:01

Do you have anything inspiring, maybe words that you live your own life by that you would like to share with those who are watching?

unknown 15:18

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 15:21

Well, uh, you see in my uh living room there is a big Chinese polygon. It is someone uh low hit and send it to me. There are eight Chinese characters on it. Right? I will explain it. That means my heart will focus on or I put all my heart in this place because this place, the name for this place is the Emperor Tian Long never made a special visit here. I'll put all my heart in this place. And the next sentence, next phrase is Chai Yin Zing Shen. Then in the Tea Kulchou, the T Chang belongs to Xinjiang Long Tan.

SPEAKER_03 16:15

I'll share this. Thank you for sharing that, and thank you so much for welcoming me here. This has been one of my favorite places. I've had a wonderful time. I wish it was longer than 24 hours, and I am looking forward to coming back. Um, I'm very grateful for your hospitality and looking forward to sharing your story with lots of people.

SPEAKER_00 16:37

So, yeah, it's just yeah, why shop just inviting our family members to come here?

SPEAKER_01 16:45

A snowy winter? Of course. Yes, I can't wait. Thank you.

The Legend Of Qianhuang Well

SPEAKER_03 16:52

After our interview, before I left that morning, they took me just up the path from the home state and told me a local story tied to this place. It's known as Qianwong Well. The story is that Emperor Qianlong once passed through this area traveling along the mountain path when his horse slipped on the rocks. As he began to fall, he reached out and placed his hand against the stone to steady himself. At that exact spot, water is said to have emerged from the rock. Over time, a well was built there to mark the moment, and it became known as Qianhuang Well. When they brought me there, they encouraged me to touch the water for good luck, especially for my journey ahead. And if you are watching the YouTube version of this episode, you'll get the chance to see some of the photos and video clips from this well. When I think back on my time at Qianguang Bay, what really stayed with me isn't just the beauty of the village or the experiences you can have there throughout the year. It's the intention behind it. I was once given a figurine by my grandmother many, many years ago. And on

The Gift Of Time And True Belonging

SPEAKER_03 18:05

it, it said simply the gift of time. And that's something that's always really stayed with me over the years, because sometimes the greatest thing that we can offer someone isn't money or material things, but sometimes it's our time, time to sit, time to listen, time to be fully present, even when we don't share the same language. This wasn't someone opening a place to attract travelers. It was someone choosing to stay and to invite others into that choice. At that dinner table, without sharing a common language, we shared something else entirely: attention, care, laughter, time, a willingness to show up from one another, time that wasn't rushed or managed, time that was freely offered simply because we were together. Mr. Zoo didn't talk about success in terms of growth and recognition. He talked about happiness as family being together, as neighbors supporting one another, as opening your home and meaning it. That kind of life treats time as something valuable, something to be protected and shared. That night, every toast felt like a small act of trust, and every laugh felt like proof that connection doesn't require explanation. I came here for one night and I left feeling like I belonged. And that's something that I'll never forget. I hope you join me next week for another episode about my time in the Zhejiang province. Thank you for being here.

Sponsor: China Eastern Airlines

SPEAKER_03 19:56

Today's episode is supported by China Eastern Airlines. They offer three nonstop routes from the United States to Shanghai Pudong, which is how I traveled while working on this series. China Eastern is headquartered in Shanghai and is one of China's major international carriers. The airline operates 108 domestic and overseas branches worldwide and serves destinations across China, Asia, Europe, and other global regions. They're also a member of the Sky Team Alliance, partnering with airlines such as Delta and allowing SkyMiles members to earn and use miles across participating carriers. On international flights, China Eastern offers three cabins of service: first class suites, business class, and economy. Long-haul routes include entertainment screens and Wi-Fi is available for purchase and economy class. If you're planning travel to Shanghai or exploring future international trips, you can find current schedules and booking information on the China Eastern Airlines website, which I'll link in the notes of this episode.