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Beijing quintessence in Olympic home-stays

— Photo: Xinhua

Soaking in the atmosphere: A couple demonstrate Chinese traditional wedding custom in the guest room of the Olympic home-stay dwelling in Beijing, in this file photo.

BEIJING: Olympic home-stays have pleased hundreds of foreign tourists, and have been like a honey pot for copy-hungry journalists, looking for something “typically Chinese.”

“Ni hao! Hello! Salut!” a mynah in an ancient siheyuan, or typical Beijing courtyard home, greeted the lodgers in Chinese, English and French, which he had learned from those visitors. The yard’s 23-year-old young host, Wang Heng, said his home currently hosted guests from Sweden, Spain, Holland, France and New Zealand, and jammed with reporters from every corner of the country as well as the world. All wanted to write a story on something that seemed quintessentially Chinese, even though many siheyuan have been torn down and now only a small number of people live in such historic homes.

“They have trained me to be a good talker,” said Wang Kejun, Wang Heng’s mother and 56-year-old owner of the yard. She said she used to be a shy librarian, but now she could speak fluently in front of the cameras. “I think the journalists are all attracted by the traditional Chinese flavour here, just like me,” said Oihane Chourraut, 27-year-old Spanish tourist.

“I love the whole space,” she said. Ms. Chourraut put on her blue dress with traditional Chinese pattern in the morning and got ready for shopping. “We are going to buy some whistles and glow-sticks to cheer my 25-year-old sister Maialen. She is competing in the kayaking,” she added.

“My family had all followed her here. My father lives in another hotel while I prefer the ancient siheyuan. When I fist came here I said ‘Wow’, it was so beautiful,” she said.

China announced 598 home-stays in Beijing for better communication between tourists and residents. The “Olympic home-stays” programme, which was created in April, aims at offering foreign visitors a chance to experience the real lives of a few of Beijing citizens. A batch of 20-something visitors from New Zealand always cheer people up in the small yard. They banter in the evenings with the host and other foreigners. Two boys even had invited a Swedish girl to climb the Great Wall together.

However, the most important thing is watching the Games. They get up early every morning and wrap themselves up in their national flags to watch the Games. “We had more than 100 tickets. We like tennis, kayak and many other games. None would be missed,” said 26-year-old Lauren Kane. — Xinhua

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