Hotel Dengan bar di Fujian, China

This place makes me wish there was an option for six stars. I study Asian art for a living, and I travelled to Jianyang to visit the home of Jian ware, classic tea bowls of the Song dynasty (960 to 1279 CE), distinguished by their black and brown glazes. Over the last few decades, firing Jian ware in the Song tradition has been revived in the area. I chose Nanping Colourful Village Homestay because it was in Jianyang, affordable, and accepted international guests. What I found was a luxury resort with all the warmth and personal attention of a homestay. I asked the front desk about an excavated Song kiln site in a nearby village, and the receptionist brought me the manager, who arranged for someone to take me the next day. My driver was Ms. Huang, an employee of the resort whose job involves buying and selling contemporary pieces. She knew everything about Jian ware! The kiln site isn’t run as a tourist site, so I was only able to view it because Ms. Huang arranged for it to be opened for me. I had told them I was vegetarian, so for lunch they took me to lunch at a vegetarian buffet. Then we visited the town’s Jian ware museum, where they have exhibits on the history of tea and Jian ware, historical pieces, and the work of contemporary Jianyang potters. To my delight, Mr. Gao, the potter-in-residence at the resort, uses a Song-style wood-fired dragon kiln, built right on the grounds! His pieces that range from beautiful but quite affordable to exquisite and appropriately expensive. They include both iridescent silvery oil spot and orange-to-black hare’s fur pieces. I am still thrilled that I was able to purchase wood-fired pieces on my limited budget. For dinner, the resort’s restaurant prepared vegetarian versions of Fujian cuisine for me. The food was all delicious, featuring classic Fujianese mountain ingredients like local bamboo and mushrooms. Then we visited Mr. Gao’s dragon kiln, and later his studio, where he experiments with different local clays and glaze recipes. The rich colours and iridescence of Jian ware are the result of the iron-rich local material fired at high temperature, and the results are as unpredictable as they are beautiful. The next day, they drove me to Mr. Chen’s family tea plantation in the mountains, where they grow famous northern Fujian teas. These fine teas were all wonderful, smooth and rich with a touch of smoke, and sometimes fruity in flavour. We strolled through mountainsides of tea bushes and visited groves of centuries-old tea trees. This is a perfect place for an immersive experience in China that is also very comfortable and convenient. I often find tourist experiences in China claustrophobic due to the press of people, but the resort was spacious and airy, and they took me to places where there was no one else but us and the occasional local going about their business. Everyone was very patient with my limited Chinese language skills. They were also happy to work with translator apps on our phones, so if you don’t speak any Chinese, you will be fine. This would be a great place to come as a family. There are gardens and rides for kids right next to the resort. You can learn how to whip Song-style tea and carve your name into the base of your own Jian ware cup. Not far away is a historical theme park with a collection of real architecture from the Ming (1368 to 1644 CE) and Qing (1636 to 1912 CE) dynasties. The employees wear period dress and there are performances and activities. Nearby there are hiking trails, historical sites, and lovely villages to visit. It’s also very close to Wuyi Mountain National Park, so it would be a perfect place to stay if the mountains are your destination. If you ask, they could arrange for you to visit famous sites or take you to breathtaking places that only locals know, whatever you want. They can also arrange transport to and from the train station or airport.

As it wasn't a busy time and we were staying for a whole week, on check they upgraded us to the Wooden Loft Family Room, which was quite nice. The room was comfortable with big windows and a nice view across the stream to the forest. It was great to have a washing machine and the washing machine had a dryer function as well so we could still dry our clothes when it was cloudy and cool. The smart toilet was a bit disappointing as the controller wasn't very responsive and the flush was very weak. The tub was nice though the water was not quite hot enough to make it comfortable. Most of all we enjoyed the courtyard area and the breakfast/restaurant area, especially the tea room. They are really well designed and organized and provide a nice space to relax and read and write. The breakfast was quite nice, they provide a serving size based on the number of people, though it was often not enough for us and we normally asked for another serving. They also brought a fruit and yogurt platter to the room in evenings which we also enjoyed. The location is convenient to walk down to the Yuchanglou Tulou in Xiabancun, though part of the way will be on the main road which can be busy with traffic. To get to other areas such as Tianluokeng and Taxiacun it is also possible to walk, though again sometimes you have to walk on the main road as there is no walking path or small side road. There is a tourist bus service that goes between the scenic spots and you can even flag them down in between though you are supposed to have purchased a transportation ticket first and that is not striaghtforward to get if you didn't get it in advance. So, most guests come with their own car or rent one. If arriving by train, while trip.com shows the Yongding and Longshan railway stations as the closest, actually the quickest and most convenient station is the one at Nanjing. Also, because the hotel is within the scenic area you do need to purchase tickets to enter, either online tickets or paper tickets at the gate.

The staff were extremely friendly and attentive, even before my arrival. They tried to contact me in advance, but as a foreign guest, I do not have a Chinese phone number. It would be more convenient if the hotel could ask for guests’ WeChat IDs through the Trip.com messenger instead. Upon arrival, the staff created a WeChat group and added me in, which turned out to be very helpful. Through the group, they assisted with all kinds of questions, such as recommended places to visit, how to rent an e-bike, and where to eat nearby. The responsiveness and service were excellent. The room was awesome — very clean, spacious, and comfortable. The bed was especially comfortable, and the view was fantastic. I also really loved the projector screen in the room, which allowed me to watch WeTV shows and other content. It made relaxing in the room even more enjoyable. The hotel provides e-bike rentals, which is a great feature. However, I was personally under-geared for the weather. It rained the day before, and the entire day was cloudy with temperatures around 11°C. The sea breeze was very strong and cold, especially when riding the e-bike with the wind blowing directly at you. Proper winter gear is definitely needed in such conditions. If the hotel could provide glove and jacket rentals, that would be an amazing improvement. In the evening, the staff even brought a small gift to the room. The gift was thoughtful and practical, and I really liked it — it was a warm and welcoming gesture that made the stay feel extra special. Breakfast was okay. Guests are seated on Level 2, and the meal is served to the table. As I come from a place where some Chinese do not consume beef, it would be great if there were options such as chicken or beef. That said, the beef noodles were actually very good. The Western-style breakfast, however, was quite average.