Voices of Inspiration

Inside a Thousand-Year-Old Village: Shen’ao and Eight Blessings Inn

• Amelia Old • Season 4 • Episode 8

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Shen’ao Village sits just outside Hangzhou, in China’s Zhejiang province. This is where Amelia met JoAnn Leung.

JoAnn left city life behind and restored a 240-year-old courtyard house here, turning it into Eight Blessings Inn. It isn’t built around amenities or schedules. It’s built around meals, conversation, and the belief that time spent together still matters.

In this episode, Amelia and JoAnn talk about following a calling later in life, starting over without certainty, and taking responsibility for a place and the people who move through it. JoAnn doesn’t frame her story as reinvention. It’s simply the life she chose—and the one she continues to tend to every day.

Shen’ao isn’t preserved. It’s lived in. Craftsmen open their workshops. Neighbors stop to talk. An ancient drainage system still works beneath the stone paths. The village does what it has always done.

This episode isn’t about travel as escape. It’s about paying attention—to where you are, to the people around you, and to the kind of life you’re building.

🎥 The YouTube version includes photos and video clips from Shen’ao Village and Eight Blessings Inn.

Topics Covered

  • Life inside Shen’ao Village, a thousand-year-old working community
  • Following a calling later in life
  • Restoring a 240-year-old courtyard house
  • Building Eight Blessings Inn around meals and conversation
  • Responsibility to place and people
  • Choosing attention over pace

Keywords

Shen’ao Village, Shenao Village, Hangzhou China, Zhejiang China, Zhejiang Province, Eight Blessings Inn, historic villages in China, slow travel, cultural travel, heritage travel, China bed and breakfast

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Sponsor

This episode is sponsored by China Eastern Airlines, who supported Amelia’s travel for this journey.


You can learn more about their routes and destinations at:
 https://us.ceair.com/en/

Photos from this journey are shared at @AmeliaOldOfficial, with additional details at AmeliaOld.com 

SPEAKER_02:

I think that I may have found China's version of the village from Beauty and the Beast. The moment early in the film where Belle walks through the town and everyone starts saying bonjour, and windows fly open, and people are calling out to one another, and all the voices just begin overlapping as their daily life unfolds. That's the first thought that I had when I was walking through Chanel Village. Stone paths wind between old courtyard houses, doors are open, neighbors greet one another as you pass by. The streets are narrow and cobblestone. So cars stop at the edge of the village, and everything inside happens on foot. This is where I met Joanne. And just a quick note: the YouTube version of this episode will include photos and video clips from Chanel Village and Eight Blessings Inn. So you can really see the place that we're talking about.

SPEAKER_01:

Everyone has a story to tell. We connect and relate to one another when we share our stories. My name is Melia Old, 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. Walk away from 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_02:

Chiuan moved from Hong Kong to Shanghai years ago and later chose to settle in Chinao Village, just outside Hangzhou. Here she restored a 240-year-old courtyard house and opened eight blessings in, a nine-room bed and breakfast. Before we get into the conversation, I wanted to share something that happened shortly after I arrived at the village. I had had a really bad fall before getting to Chanel, and my eye was extremely bruised and swollen, and I tried to play it off. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it, despite being in a lot of pain. And of course, it was noticeable. And more than that, I was incredibly embarrassed. Joanne wasted no time in jumping into action. She wanted to make sure I was taken care of, despite me telling her, I'll be fine. She insisted on walking me through the village to a local Chinese medicine doctor. And the entire time I kept saying, Oh, no, I'm fine, I'm fine. We don't need to go. And she completely ignored my pleas and said, No, we're going. And he examined my eye, he treated it and handed me a tube of medication. And he smiled and waved his hand when I asked how much I owed him. And after that, we stopped at a small coffee shop just down the road. And Joanne explained to them what had happened, and they immediately showed concern for me, although they would have noticed without her mentioning it. It was pretty noticeable. They made me a coffee and their dog came over and settled at my feet while I sat there. And I felt genuinely cared for, and they didn't even know me. And that moment spoke to Joanne's character, the way she pays attention and takes responsibility for the people around her. Chanel Village has been here for more than a thousand years, and you can feel that history as you walk through it. Many of the courtyard houses date back to the Ming and Qing dynasties, and they aren't preserved behind glass or signs. People still live in them. Stone paths wind through the village the same way they always have, connecting homes, courtyards, and small gathering spots. Beneath it all is a carefully designed drainage system built centuries ago that still manages rainwater today. Over time, families, craftsmen, and artisans settled here, drawn by how thoughtfully the village was built. What makes Chanel special is that it hasn't been frozen in time. It continues to function as a working village, shaped by everyday life rather than modern redevelopment. In this interview, Joanne talks about following a dream later in life, restoring a historic home during the pandemic, and why connection is at the heart of everything she has created?

SPEAKER_00:

My name is Joanne. I'm from Hong Kong. I moved to this Sun O village eight years ago, and I started this Eight Blessings Inn. Um, Q9 bedroom, bed and breakfast.

SPEAKER_02:

So what inspired you to move from the city life here to start this in?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, in fact, uh having a bed and breakfast has been my dream, and I had that dream uh in ten more than ten years ago, because I had started up a four-bedroom bed and breakfast in in Shanghai in 2010. But it only for one year I have to suspend it because of not having a license, a proper license.

SPEAKER_02:

But then that wasn't a common thing, so you wouldn't have known. Yes.

SPEAKER_00:

So um, but that was a it it just everything stopped after one year and I talked to myself and talked. Hey, I said this is one thing that I really enjoy doing, and I think this is something I really want to pursue if in future that I'd be given another opportunity, then I would want a bigger one. And then that was shelf for for seven years until I came to this village, which is uh uh an ol an ancient village with a thousand year history, then I came just for uh spending a weekend with my friends. I fell in love with this village, uh loving first sight, because it is unlike very many ancient villages I have seen around China for for the past ten more years. Because it is quaint, it is it is quiet, it's not commercialized, and it has over a hundred numbers of old uh houses. Because in 2010, when I was in Shanghai, I helped a friend and joined his company to do all sort of uh properties, mainly old properties, villa house, lane house in the old French concession. And I found every house has its own character. And during that time I helped renovating the house, lease it out, and manage the properties. Uh it was that in 2010 that I suggested, hey, let's convert one into a bed and breakfast. And that was it. That gave me a very strong feeling that this is something I really want to do. So after one year, of course, that's that's why this idea of having egg blessings in just happened like a dream revived. So I decided to quit my job when I was still having a job, and I make this bold step of moving from Shanghai to this village, all on my own, because I know this is a calling, something like a calling. This is okay, a door is open, and it just takes you to make this move. A very bold step. I said, okay, I quit the job, and this time it will be all the way. So I moved to Sunnah Village in August in 2018, seven years. Start from scratch. I I first said to myself, I rented a small apartment and with my two cats, and I stayed in this small apartment and started to uh prepare for this house. First I have to set up a company, then I have to uh do order registration. And then I started to look for designer and a contractor and make plans. So it took me one more than one year. And then we finally start work in December, mid-December in 2019. So one month into doing all the foundational work, laying the pipes and the and all that. And I also got my niece all the way come from Hong Kong to help me give me ideas to how to do the finishing, I mean the the finishing design. I didn't realize that she she she can do interior design. In fact, she studied product design in in Berkeley in Eindhoven years ago. But I think I guess she might help because she she has a more static stance than I do. So she's willing to help. She came for three days and took some pictures. She went back in January 2020 and then locked down COVID-10.

SPEAKER_03:

So work suspended more than two months. But it's okay.

SPEAKER_00:

But it also took me another six months to get the license. The official opening of this egg lesson in October 2021. So today in 2025, we're already in operation for four months. Four years.

SPEAKER_02:

Time has gone by very quickly, but it also feels like that time of our lives was just last year. Yes, totally fine. It really does. It really does. Um may I ask, where did you get the idea for the name?

SPEAKER_00:

Okay. In fact, I was inspired by watching a movie called The Inn of the Sixth Present. It was a Hollywood movie. I just came across it all out of the brew, I was spotted this video and I I watched it because it was starred by Ingrid Berman. She's my mother's idol. And it it's a two-hour movie. And it was based on a true story of an English missionary who traveled to Shanxi in the 90s and she ran this egg-pleasant thing. And then she also did a wonderful thing to help rescue a hundred number of uh orphans that uh safely arrived in Siang in the 1942 or 5, I forgot, but it was during the Sino-Japanese war, and she's really inspired me that she on her own she did uh this in to serve people and to help the officers. And that that really inspired and I like the name very much. In Chinese it's called Ba Fu Kak. Fu in Chinese means happiness. So in Chinese there's a traditional saying to Wu Fu happiness. It is basically um longevity, wealth, uh virtues, things like that. But then you you want more. Blessings you never have enough. So when people ask me quit b quit eight blessings, I said it's all very individual, very personal. For me, I think joy is also a uh a happiness. Yeah. Right? Peace or or wealth, health, they are all happiness. Yes. So this name is wonderful.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes. It's very fitting for you and your personality too. Thank you. What part of your everyday life do you like sharing the most with guests?

SPEAKER_00:

I always enjoy meeting uh my guests during breakfast. I would chat with them and also during dinner time that I can, you know we we chat a lot. I I enjoy chatting. I mean I like interacting with people. I think especially nowadays during this AI era, it's really hard for people to make time to sit down face to face, to have a heart-to-heart talk, and that is a luxury. Exactly. This is what a bad reference is about for me. I think connection, people and people. It's where people meet, where people can mingle.

SPEAKER_02:

How far away have some of your guests traveled from to come and see you here?

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, I have visitors from uh from the states, yeah, from from Mexico, yeah, from Europe and Hong Kong, of course, and uh everywhere.

SPEAKER_02:

Amazing. Yeah, that's so amazing. Is there a moment? Um, and and I like to ask this question because I think while it can be a difficult question for some, I like to ask it because I I think some of these stories and lessons can be important for someone that's viewing this. But is there a moment or story that you can think of with a guest that has stuck with you that made you think this is my part, this is why I'm doing this, this is my the reason I'm doing this at this moment right here?

SPEAKER_00:

Quite many in in effect. Uh as I also mentioned to some of my best, they um there are many families that they come spend the the time here three generations, the grandfather, the grandparent, the parent, and the kids and the grandkids. They had happy time here. And they that really won my heart. Yeah, every time when I talked about that. And also whenever when I flipped through the books that they put down the the the feelings and the taste they draw, I get power from that. And that also is a driving force that I can move on. I have no regret that I I'm glad that I did this place. I I mean this is so fulfilling, satisfying. And I also mention I remember a young 95-year-old granddad came with his uh granddaughter from the States. The granddaughter booked this place in the States and came with her mother and the grandpar the granddad's father came from Shangzhou. They met up here. Oh, that was wonderful. I also take tape there, they they do tai chi. The grandfather is a tai chi master. He teaches he taught us tai chi movements in in the courtyard. Oh and it was wonderful. And there was also one couple in the the husband is 90 something and the wife is 85 something, and they dance in the living area. Oh, I should have all these tapes, these beautiful memories that really brighten up my days and my life. I mean, that's the whole purpose. I mean, this is a place you collect a lot of beautiful memories, and people have beautiful memories in this place. They had a good time here. Even some they came along, like ladies, uh single ladies they came, they said, I don't want to do it, I don't need to go anywhere. I just come here, just rest, read some bowls, have some tea, and they had a good time here and chatting. We also encourage each other. You know, some they will come with some questions and ask for my hey, I can share my experience as to how to face struggles, how to deal with some relational problems. Well, I I don't mean to give any advice, but this is just my personal experience that I can share and they're willing to listen. That that's it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

That's amazing. That's really special. Um, can you talk just a little bit about some of the things that you can take your guests to do in the area? I know that we we talked about it personally earlier, and I think that that would be really good for viewers and listeners to hear just a small snippet of of something that you can experience as you can take them.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, there's a quite a number of things you can do. I mean, unlike many other places that you only find similar things. We have different um like crafts that you can. I can take you to the craftsman's workshop. We have many um young craftsmen from different places in China. They open up their workshops, they do incense making, they do paper cutting, they do a lot of different things. And uh I really enjoy taking my guests to to go there to spend some time to learn a traditional Chinese uh culture. Like uh we also have a teacher, Mr. Zhou. He will come to the inn to give us a lecture uh how to do rubbing. The stone tablet that you can use a special traditional Chinese technique to rub it and and then frame it. It is very beautiful. And also uh this Mr. Zhao, he's a lady uh resident. He's a retired uh official, and now he's helping us with to take our guests to do a two-hour walk around the village, telling you stories about these old houses, telling you about this a thousand-year-old drainage system that's unique in China. I mean, this is fascinating because we are still nowadays benefiting from this ancient wisdom. The the drainage system is amazing.

SPEAKER_02:

There are things to do here that you won't find anywhere else. Exactly. Do you have a favorite quote or any words of wisdom that you would like to share with those that are watching?

SPEAKER_03:

Something you may live your life by. Back to basic.

SPEAKER_00:

I think life is happy if it's go back to simple and basic. You don't need many, many material things. So this is what I want to offer my guests who stay here. I don't give them in uh electronic toilet cover or not even a T we in the room. I think life is just about Sleeping well, eating healthy, and then lead a simple life. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

So true.

SPEAKER_02:

I like that. Thank you so much for having me here and welcoming me into your home. I'm very grateful to be here. This village is very special and so so is your inn. And I can't wait to share your story with many, many people.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you so much, Aminia, for for coming. And it's an honor to have you with us.

SPEAKER_02:

Spending time with Joanne makes it clear that the way someone lives shows up in the spaces they create. Joanne didn't rush this path. She made deliberate choices over time: where to live, what to restore, how to open her home, and how to show up for the people who pass through it. Eight blessings in exist because of those choices, and because of the responsibility she feels toward the place and the people connected to it. Chanel Village supports that way of living. It asks people to walk, to notice, to interact. It continues to function as it always has. And not as a backdrop, but as a working place where daily life still unfolds. This episode isn't about escape or reinvention. It's about commitment to a place, to a way of living, and to the people you encounter along the way. Thank you for listening to Voices of Inspiration. I'll see you next week. They offer three nonstop routes from the United States to Shanghai Budong, which is how I travel 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 in 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.

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Amelia Old

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