Happy hours for the van people as sales drive ever upward

Multi-purpose vehicle makers gain from moving into countryside

Wang Xing runs a small rural inn near Guangzhou, Guangdong province. He's kept the original farmer's house look and serves dishes made from wild vegetables to attract city residents at weekends. "Happy hours at the farmer's", as the business is known, has made him happy too - and it's brought him much more money than growing crops.

He used to use a minivan to pick up guests from the city, but later he felt the van was not comfortable or safe enough, and it got so shabby that Wang was afraid of losing face, and possibly customers.