Sharing economy helps reshape tourism in wonderful ways

While my wife and I have enjoyed some excellent hotels in China, we decided on our last vacation, in Shanghai, to get more in touch with local life by staying at people's homes. We had never met these people, but that didn't deter us.

The sharing economy has made this possible. After good experiences with Airbnb in other countries, we decided to try it in China.

We picked out three places to stay - one in a charming old neighborhood near the downtown Tianzifang area, one near Thames Town in suburban Songjiang district and a third at Zhujiajiao, an ancient water town on Shanghai's outskirts.

We spent time comparing locations and pricing, and reading reviews from previous guests. What we got were three charming and helpful hosts and three wonderful experiences.

In downtown Shanghai, we found a renovated apartment in the type of historic building we had only admired from the street previously. We walked up creaking wooden steps that had been there for many decades. Kids romped and babies cried next door. It was real, not some Hollywoodesque or museum version of a traditional Shanghai neighborhood. It was wonderful.

In Songjiang, where we went to visit friends, our host was amazing and is a new friend now.

In Zhujiajiao, our room was far down some long, winding alleyways that took us beyond the main tourist area into the neighborhood. When we couldn't find it among the narrow, ancient streets, our host came to get us. She served us tea as we checked in, and some breakfast treats when we checked out. We enjoyed experiencing daily life there for a few days, greeting grandmothers and watching kids play.

Airbnb is aiming for China to be its largest origin market by 2020. In December, Airbnb co-founder Nathan Blecharczyk said the company had found that building local relationships helped it grow inside the country, Fortune reported.

The company unveiled a new name to be used in China, Aibiying, which means "welcome each other with love", the report said.

Airbnb also has some strong domestic competitors, such as Tujia and Xiaozhu, which also have formed partnerships with other players in the industry. Those local companies also are aiming to expand internationally through partnerships, the Jing Travel website reported.

Using the sharing economy in this case was made easier by the fact that we already were familiar with Shanghai. We also were willing to work through some language issues. You have to be flexible - it's not always as easy as a hotel, but it can be a different and very rewarding kind of experience.

It is true that Airbnb and its competitors did not invent this concept. There are many bed-and-breakfast places, sometimes called "happy farmer homes", scattered around rural China.

Also, the sharing economy does need some gentle management - the peace of mind of residents needs to be protected. Too many guests in one place would, in any case, destroy the ambience.

But after a week of getting a much more intimate view of Shanghai and its history, I hope that such opportunities are preserved. Making a certain number of historic homes more profitable for their owners is one way to promote preservation.

Contact the writer at mattprichard@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 07/02/2018 page22)