What’s clean and close and needed all over… Shanghai? Naked Retreats: The first eco retreat nestled in the pristine bamboo forest of Moganshan, Zhejiang Province, China. It’s a place where you can escape the city and breathe in some fresh air. “Yeah, yeah, what’s the big deal?” you may be thinking to yourself. Given that even when the city is clean, Shanghai’s air pollution will make your throat and nose sore, the opportunity to travel just two hours and have an experience with clean air (and nature) ~ well that’s something worth talking about.
Born out of Need
Gabriela Lo, Managing Director, Naked Retreat
The idea came to Gabriela Lo when she went on a weekend getaway with friends, and found herself 2.5 hours out of Shanghai in the remote village of Moganshan at the top of a mountain. “Naked Retreats was born out of need, out of our own need to get out. I figured, if we need it, then there must be other people that need it. It’s very challenging to find a way to get out into fresh air and nature ~ and do what most people in other countries do, it’s just not so easy here.”
Gabriela serendipitously met Grant Horsfield ~ who had recently visited Vietnam and experienced the unique kind of resort they wanted to create: A place where you can go with friends and stay in a secluded home; relax and rejuvenate in the natural surroundings; and have enough activities at your fingertips (mountain biking, hiking, and tea picking) to keep the hyperactive people entertained. A month after they decided they would make good business partners, they quit their jobs and started working on the initiative full speed ahead.
Creating A New Culture of Vacation
With eco on the brain, they didn’t go the standard route: buy land and build. Instead, they found a village in the mountains, and started to connect with the people who owned the farm houses, and began to rent and renovate.
“All of their kids have moved out of the villages and into the cities,” Gabrielle said. “Most of the people living there are over 55, (the village elder 95 or so). Over the years we have developed relationships and created a strong sense of community. In some ways this is an end to an era in this region. The houses are so large because they used to house entire families, but now there are just a few living each home.”
The majority of the village residents are now employed by the retreat center. The Ayis, (ayee) known affectionately as aunties, come to your house each morning and evening to prepare your meal for you in your own kitchen. One resident still lives in the back of her son’s house and cares for the home and its residents.
Gabriela says that many of the expats appreciate the unique environment, it’s as much a cultural experience as a vacation, (with opportunities to visit with the elders as they prepare the bamboo). “While the Chinese perspective is somewhat different: The mass urban migration means that many people have intentionally moved away from this kind of setting.” Gabriela explained, “There is a city mentality: people are disconnected from nature, many see nature as from an agricultural history they intentionally left behind, and are focused on technology… however we are seeing an increasing number of Chinese who do appreciate the opportunity to get out into the natural environment.”
Marketing to the masses (with no access to social media)
“In the beginning, it was really just through friends and word of mouth which worked really well for us,” explained Gabrielle. “Then it is through media coverage since we are quite a new concept and there are so many new magazines and international magazines coming into China, we’ve had constant media coverage which is very helpful as these are both third party channels, (the best way to market as it is not us blowing our own horns!)”
“We are quite active on trip advisor and ask our guests to post their comments. As for social media, we are beginning to be more active but since Facebook and Twitter are often blocked or very slow in China, we tend not to rely on them.”
Creating a culture of change
Their presence and choice to hire an entire staff of locals is creating a ripple effect in the community and how the ecological concepts they are practicing at the lodge also reaches out into the community. “Before they arrived, burning Styrofoam and garbage was a regular practice. There hasn’t been any education about basic environmental practices. To give it some context, before 30 years ago, everything was made here. When it broke, people chucked it out the window. When plastic was introduced, the culture and attitudes remained.”
Next up: Naked Stables: 5 Star and striving to become LEED Certified
The concept has taken off with such success, that they received an approving nod from the Chinese government and were given the option to lease a nearby plot of land where, this time, they will build an eco resort from scratch. If you would like to see a sneak peak into what goes into building a 5 star eco resort, enjoy this walk about with Woody Chen, executive assistant to founder Grant Horsfield, on the various green elements that are going into the design.
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Tags: china, eco travel, Green, naked retreat, shanghai, travel
