Short History of YHA China

One day in the late spring of 1998, former IYHF Secretary General and Chief Executive Rawdon Lau received an unexpected phone call from the director of the China Travel Centre in London.  The caller was even more surprised to find that the Secretary General to whom he was speaking was a Chinese from Hong Kong.  A long story kicked off after this interesting conversation.

The caller said that a few months earlier a Division Head of the Guangdong Provincial Tourism Administration (Guangdong is the most prosperous province in the south of China, with about 80 million inhabitants) had been in Germany, where he had visited, by accident, a Youth Hostel – an institution completely new to him.  When he returned to Guangdong, he wrote a report to his boss and an article in the local newspaper regarding what he had seen in the German Youth Hostel.  He also wrote to the German Youth Hostel Association asking for more information about the Youth Hostel network and how hostels were operated in Germany.

A couple of weeks went by and he became impatient at this long period of silence.  So he started to do some research himself and eventually found that the office of the International Youth Hostel Federation was in England, he asked the Travel Centre in London to contact the international office.

Two weeks later, Rawdon Lau was on the way to Guangzhou with his former President, Friedrich Muth, a Director in the Ministry of Education in Bavaria, Germany.  Friedrich was no stranger to China.  He has been involved with student exchange programmes between China and Bavaria for the past 25 years, and in a voluntary capacity he was the Vice President of the Bavarian YHA and had served as International President of the IYHF.

They were greeted at the airport by Mr Li, the chap who had visited the German Youth Hostel, and his assistant.  The following day they had a meeting at the head office of the Guangdong Tourism Administration (GDTA) with the director and his deputies.  It was agreed that IYHF would help them to gain more knowledge and understanding of what hostelling was all about by means of, firstly, a tour of key hostels and their associations in Europe, and secondly, a training programme for volunteers seconded to key hostels in Europe.

In late summer of the same year Rawdon Lau stood at Zurich airport, eagerly awaiting a senior GDTA delegation, composed of directorates from various cities in the province and led by Director Lu, whom they had met in Guangdong.  Lu was in high spirits, perhaps because this was the first time he had been able to talk to a European host in his own dialect throughout the trip – a very unusual experience in his all years of travel.   

The group visited Youth Hostels in Austria, Switzerland, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium and, finally, the UK.  Coincidentally, the new Liverpool Youth Hostel was soon to be opened by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.  The group was invited to the opening to meet Prince Philip.  It was without doubt a great experience for them to see this new hostel in close connection with Beatles and a member of the Royal Family. 

On his return to China, the Director of GDTA prepared a report on the hostel movement for the relevant authorities in China, urging consideration for the establishment of a network of Youth Hostels in various key cities.  

The following year a team of nine volunteers, capable of speaking either English, French or Germany was on the way to Europe for a six-month secondment.  These individuals would be the pioneers of hostelling in China and their enthusiasm was unquestionable.  Three were posted in Germany and one each in France, Holland, Switzerland and two were seconded to the Scottish YHA. Last but not least, the leader of the group, Ms Yin Chen (currently the National Secretary of YHA China), was posted to the IYHF office.

Ms Yin made a number of visits during her secondment.  After she visited Sweden in the summer of 1999, she commented:

“Before arriving in Sweden, the IYHF Secretary General had told me that I could find one of the best Youth Hostel networks in the world here.  I landed in this stunning country of the Scandinavian Peninsula in mid-summer.  It was about 9pm when I stepped out of the airport.  At home, at this time of day, there would be stars in the sky and neon lights everywhere, but in Stockholm, it is still very bright, not even approaching evening.

Mr Thomas Bab, the past head of the Youth Hostels division of STF (Swedish Tour Club) said to me at the airport in Stockholm that I would be put in prison during my stay. When I told my Chinese colleagues later, I really scared them.  In fact, what he meant was that I would be staying in Langholmen, a former prison in Stockholm, now converted to a mixture of Conference hotel and youth hostel accommodation. 

Upon arrival at Langholmen, I was attracted to the natural beauty of the surroundings, the peaceful and crystal-clear lake, and the reflection on the water.  Behind the building are green hills and woodland.  The Youth Hostel is only a short walking distance from the underground station. It is not surprising that this hostel is so popular.

Another interesting thing in Langholmen is the prison museum.  It illustrates the history of this establishment and one or two cells have been kept as they were.  This is a virtual record of the history that enriches a stay in this place. 

I had heard about a floating Youth Hostel, “Af Chapman”, in Stockholm and now I had the opportunity to see it.  I was thrilled with her beauty.  The tall masts were her arms embracing the blue sky and a call for warm sunshine to welcome her guests.  When I went on board Af Chapman, there were a couple of old sailors were making souvenirs to raise funds for the boat.  They were all erstwhile sailors on the boat and they regularly come to pay tribute to something that has enormous sentimental value in their hearts. 

If simple and high standards are the sort of perfection that we are pursuing, Youth Hostels in Sweden have probably reached this goal.  In my two and a half day flying visit, I saw 10 hostels.  They were in different locations and of various sizes, but were all of a high quality, simple design, warm and cosy, which gave me the feeling of a “home away from home”.  I am beginning to realize that a high standard is not just the use of expensive materials; it is something like the charisma of a person, ingrained in the bones.  It is the passion, atmosphere, design and surroundings put together”.

Almost at the same time, on 1 August 1999, the first student hostelling group from China landed in Europe.  A reporter and a photographer from one of the leading Chinese newspapers accompanied them.  The following is a translation of the first article the reporter wrote:

The first group of student hostellers are now in Amsterdam – the capital of tulips.  After a short settling-in period yesterday, they started their backpacking tour to The Hague.  The Hague, the home of the famous International Court of Justice, is about 50km from Amsterdam.  At half past nine in the morning, the students are following the map and travelling on their own.  We, the reporters, watch them from a distance but give no assistance.

It is not that difficult to get to the Central Station from the Vondelpark YH.  The Central Station is quite a big station and the trains are very frequent.  There are trains every few minutes to different European countries, and you can easily get on the wrong train if you are not used to the system.  Being confused with this huge train network, one of the girls used her somewhat broken English to ask a lady in the station for help.  It took quite a long time for the lady to understand that this was a group of students from China and the first student hostellers from Guangdong province.  She was surprised and said that she was a member of the station staff and, in her memory, there had never been a hostelling group from China.  She helped the students to get tickets and ensure they got on the right train.

Following a 15-minute journey from Amsterdam to The Hague, by the time the students got to the city centre it was time for lunch.  Coincidentally, they saw a Chinese restaurant called “Fortune”, and the group walked in without hesitation.  When the owner of the restaurant was told that this was a group of student hostellers from China, he was over the moon and said, “Be my guests.”  He said he had been there for a long time and this was the first time he had met a group of student hostellers from China.  After lunch, the students followed the advice of the restaurant owner and eventually reached the International Court.  After that they visited the Royal Palace and other places of interest, took a lot of photographs, did some shopping, then got back to the Central Station without problems.

The first experience of hostelling for this group of Chinese students seems to have been very successful. It certainly has proved they can do the same as other fellow hostellers when they travel across Europe!      

When the secondment was over, these nine volunteers were all ready to apply what they had learned from these developed Associations to the proposed new Youth Hostel Association in Guangdong.

In October of the same year, IYHF took an international delegation from nearly 24 countries, speakers of English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese and Korean, on a 10-day visit to Guangdong province.  The Vice Governor held an official reception for the delegation, attended by representatives from some of the consulates in Guangzhou.  The delegation attended the opening of three hostels in the province, including the Happy Valley Youth Hostel in Shenzhen run by Mrs Liu Fanhui, who had gone to Bavaria earlier in the year as one of the nine volunteers.  “The day after the opening, six undergraduates came to stay here.  They had picked up the news of hostelling from those who went to Europe.  They spent four days at the hostel and were quite happy with the atmosphere,” Liu recalled.

There is a College of Tourism Education about a kilometre from the Youth Hostel, and some students had learned from the media that a Youth Hostel had just opened and came to find out what it was all about.  Liu told them about the philosophy and history of hostelling and about her time in Bavaria.  The students were fascinated by her experiences and she became very popular with them.  More and more students came to question her: What is a Youth Hostel? How is a Youth Hostel managed? What kind of services does a Youth Hostel Provide? What is the difference between a Youth Hostel and a hotel?   They were overwhelmed with enthusiasm and curiosity.

There could be no guarantee, however, that at this initial stage of development the philosophy of hostelling would work. The expectation in China is that every establishment, from a five-star hotel to a small inn, will provide disposable toothbrushes and slippers.  When some newcomers checked in at the hostel, they were disappointed that such supplies were not available.  Nor was there hot tea in their rooms – almost a must for accommodation in China.

Something unexpected happened not long after the opening.  A cycling group of eight older hostellers from Tianjing arrived at the hostel on the 95th day of a biking challenge.  They ranged in age from 62 to 74 and the hostel staff were a bit worried about them and tried to offer assistance beyond the normal services.  To their surprise, the cyclists politely refused any help.  They made their beds, cleaned their rooms, and bought some noodles to cook in the members’ kitchen.  They said they had cycled an average of 80km a day and the hostel was already a heaven for them.  They were in fact all retired professionals and obviously still very much young-at-heart.

The hosting of this cycling group brought a considerable sense of satisfaction to the staff and the cyclists promised to promote the idea of hostelling in their communities when they returned home.  And so the hostelling development chapter began!

In the summer of 2002, Rawdon Lau retired from the post as Secretary General and Chief Executive of the International Youth Hostel Federation and returned to China, where he volunteered to help organise a hostelling extension programme and was later made Honorary Chairman of the YHA China.

In early 2006 he was asked by the Association to help with a project to replace the aforementioned Happy Valley Hostel in Shenzhen, which, due to its popularity, was being converted into a hotel.  

Shenzhen is a legend in the recent history of China.  In just over two decades it has developed from a small fishing village into a metropolitan city and is a magnet for all the elites from both within China and abroad.  To a degree it resembles Hong Kong (which is just a stone’s throw away) but has its own character.

Under the new social scenario, there is a trend for relatively old buildings and factories to be redeveloped to accommodate the creative and design industries.  The Creation and Art Park, with its Contemporary Art Centre, is a classic example, aiming to provide an environment in which artists and designers from all over the world can meet and inspire one another, in which the traditional and the modern can interact to produce a new vocabulary of design.  This is where the new Loft Youth Hostel is located.

The Hostel has turned a somewhat unattractive home for workers into a simple but good quality accommodation and meeting place.  The idea was to keep the original architecture and history while incorporating a contemporary extension.  The scale and proportions, and the proper use of basic materials, are important elements demonstrating the power of simplicity.  The application of a contemporary design to an existing structure respects the ethos of both the traditional and modern architecture to make a harmonious whole.  

The Loft Youth Hostel’s mission is to be a social enterprise and to promote intercultural exchange, environmental awareness and social responsibility. This hostel employs:

•Solar water heating system

•98% bulbs used are energy saving type

•Use of timer and flow switch wherever possible

•Reusable signage, coreless toilet rolls 

•Communication with customers - conservation signage

•Reduction for use of paper and printed matters 

•Recycling for bottles, tins, cans, papers, batteries, plastic bag, eggshells and washing water

•No disposable items such as slippers, tooth bushes, tooth paste, shower gel etc

•Provide drinking fountain to reduce plastic bottles

•No smoking except designated area 

•Environmental programmes in partnership with organizations having similar objectives

•A pilot scheme of reducing chemicals, water and tumble drying for washing (sheets and linens etc) is being carried out. Energy saving washers replaces conventional washing machines and washed items are sun dried whenever weather permitting, in order to help to reduce carbon emission

More importantly, members of staff are very much committed and determined to set an example to their customers. Their understanding and support in this particular issue enable hostellers to share experiences, learn from each other and be involved in action, in respect of conservation.

In terms of social responsibility, we strongly believe that “charity begins at home”.  Fair employment is absolutely essential.  We also provide an incentive scheme for staff, volunteering opportunities, a youth guidance service, environmental education, and community activities.

The hostel has been a great success from the start and has set an example for the future direction of hostel development in China.  It is now running an experimental scheme to train young people who are interested in hostel management as a career.

Our experience gained from this project suggests that the strong and clear message to be presented to our customers is that we are not “budget hotels” but “youth hostels” for social learning.  We are not simply providing a bed but offering a cross-culture experience.  It is also vitally important that, in marketing terms, we differentiate between ourselves and our competitors, so that youth hostels can survive in a very competitive market in this country in the years to come without compromising our principles and philosophy.

The success of Loft Youth Hostel demonstrates an urgent need to establish a long-term hostelling partnership with others of like minds in China in order to set an example, to assist, and to promote excellence for the benefit of current hostel operators or for those who might become involved with the hostel movement in the future.  Thus, a number of existing hostels, in strategic locations, will be invited to join a new scheme to create more Loft Project-style hostels, and we will be happy to ensure their quality, standards and philosophy. 

In short, this will be a partnership of exemplary hostels within the hostelling network and, we hope, the best of the best within the hostelling movement in China.  But it is only the beginning of the beginning and we need more support from the international community.