Expats finding home in rural China

Armin Schober (L) teaches his daughter Alina to ride a bicycle in Yixian County,新疆博尔塔拉新闻网 Huangshan City, east China's Anhui Province, July 31, 2024. (Xinhua/Fu Tian)

HEFEI, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- Nestled at the foothills of the majestic Huangshan Mountain in east China's Anhui Province, the ancient villages of Yixian County appear as if they have stepped straight out of a classic Chinese landscape painting.

Yixian is home to two villages listed as world cultural heritage sites -- Xidi and Hongcun -- famous for their well-preserved Hui-style architecture. Here, white-walled, black-tiled houses line tranquil ponds, with reflections of drooping willows and centuries-old stone arch bridges rippling gently across the water.

Increasingly, these postcard-perfect landscapes serve not just as backdrops for passing tourists but as a place to call home for a growing number of expats. Drawn by the villages' timeless charm, they have chosen to settle here, weaving their own stories into the enduring fabric of local life.

For Austrian native Armin Schober and his Chinese wife, Huang Qiong, Hongcun was love at first sight during a trip. In 2022, they eventually left their jobs in Shenzhen to run a guesthouse here, naming it "Alina's Garden" after their daughter.

"It's become home," said Schober, gesturing around the traditional Hui-style courtyard they restored. "I was attracted by the architecture, but I also wanted to learn about Chinese culture and traditions."

Their seven-year-old daughter, Alina, embodies this cultural fusion. She runs wild with local friends in the village lanes, practices swordplay inspired by the legendary warrior Hua Mulan, and learns Tai Chi.

"It's important for children to learn about the culture and history because they are the custodians for the future," Schober told Xinhua.

As the Spring Festival is just around the corner, the family has begun preparing for a unique tradition by writing their Spring Festival couplets in English, with messages like "Eat well sleep well have fun day by day."

Their guesthouse has become a vibrant hub for cultural exchange. Schober also runs a restaurant in Hongcun and volunteers every Thursday evening to teach free English classes to local residents, helping strengthen the village's connection with the wider world.

The allure of Yixian's rural charm extends beyond family life into academic pursuits. Younes Chebini, a doctoral student from Algeria, has made Hongcun his fieldwork base since January. Researching how music integrates with rural cultural tourism, he is captivated by the immersive experience of the village's iconic fish lantern parade.

"China is vast, with vastly different cultures in each place," said Chebini, who shares snippets of his life in China on social media. "The fish lanterns here are the most vibrant, community-gathering performance. Visitors can even hold a lantern and become part of it." For him, Hongcun is a living lab where tradition meets contemporary economic development, valuable for anthropological studies.

Adrien Brill (R), an American influencer, introduces his pizza oven to Italian couple Simona Maria Cannone (L) and Angelo Taraborrelli at his restaurant in Huangshan, east China's Anhui Province, March 13, 2025. (Xinhua/Chen Shangying)

Meanwhile, in nearby Nanxinan Village along the Xin'an River, Adrien Brill from the United States, who goes by his Chinese name Zhuo Wen, has found his calling through culinary fusion. His "stinky mandarin fish pizza" -- a daring marriage of a pungent local Anhui delicacy and the Italian staple -- became a viral sensation at a local culinary competition.

"I knew I couldn't beat the local masters at the traditional dish. So why not try something different?" recalled Brill, who moved to China at 16 and later married a Huangshan local. The successful experiment led him to open his own restaurant in 2023.

His journey goes beyond the kitchen. Brill actively participates in local festivals like the fish lantern parade in Wangmantian village and learns to cook regional dishes from villagers.

"The mountains, the rivers and the warmth of the people here heal me every day," he said. In 2024, he even took his innovative "hairy tofu pizza" to an international competition in Italy, sharing the flavors of Huangshan with the world.

The experiences of Schober, Chebini and Brill highlight a shift from short trips to immersive living. They are no longer passive observers but active participants, contributing their skills, ideas and perspectives to the community.

In 2025, the Huangshan Mountain scenic area welcomed 151,900 inbound visitors, marking a strong year-on-year increase of 63.95 percent, indicating a strong resurgence of international interest.

From restoring ancient houses to researching folk arts, from creating fusion cuisine to bridging language gaps, these global residents are drawn by more than just scenery. They are captivated by the tangible sense of history, the depth of living culture, the warmth of community, and the opportunity for a life that blends tranquility with purpose.