Alpine style scales new heights

Homestay at foot of Huangshan Mountain sees Austrian, his Chinese wife and daughter, enjoy a fresh start

At the foothills of Huangshan Mountain, a UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage Site in East China's Anhui province, Armin Schober, an Austrian, and his Chinese wife, Huang Qiong, run a homestay, which combines traditional Chinese architecture and Western interior design.

With intricately carved wooden windows embedded with colorful glass and European antique bronze chandeliers in its front hall, it has become a popular destination in Tachuan village, Huangshan, Anhui.

Named Alina's Garden after their 6-year-old daughter, the homestay is where Schober hopes that his daughter can enjoy a picturesque landscape reminiscent of his childhood at the foot of the Austrian Alps.

Before traveling to Tachuan, the couple lived in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, where Huang ran an advertising company. Their daughter was born in 2018. Tired of the hustle and bustle of city life, they hoped to move to a place where their daughter could be closer to nature.

A trip to Tachuan in 2021 helped them make up their mind to move to the small mountain village to start a rural homestay.

To Schober, Tachuan made him feel like home.