Booking homely atmosphere abroad

Growing outbound Chinese tourists try out new apps offering innovative homestay services

Wang Xiaochuan, 40, a restaurant owner in Beijing, had visited Japan 15 times, but the very thought of her 16th trip made her nervous. Her anxiety during the run-up to the February visit arose from the realization that this time she would be traveling with her aged parents and in-laws. The four septuagenarians had never been abroad.

"The anxiety haunted me for weeks until my husband turned to Zhubaijia for help," she said. The Shenzhen-based company, usually seen as China's answer to Airbnb Inc, has gone far beyond simple offers of domestic and overseas vacation rentals.