Yangshuo Mountain Retreat
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[edit] History
The Yangshuo Mountain Retreat was built in 2001 and lies approximately 15 minutes outside of Yangshuo, China. The Retreat was the brain child of Chris Barclay, an American entrepreneur who has lived and worked in China over the last 17 years.
[edit] Location
Yangshuo is approximately 60 kilometers from Guilin, China and has become a popular tourism destination, particularly for the Li River cruise, which takes passengers past some of the most spectacular karst peaks. These towers were formed by the gradual retreat of ancient inland seas, leaving many exotic caves and bizarre limestone formations, similar to those found in Krabi, Thailand and Halong Bay, Vietnam.
The Mountain Retreat is situated on the Yulong River, a tributary of the Li River one of the Yangtze River’s four largest tributaries in the province of Guangxi, which is also an Autonomous Region of the Chinese Zhuang Tribe, with cultural traditions distinct from the majority Han Chinese.
[edit] Responsible Tourism
The Mountain Retreat was the first Yangshuo hotel to enact sustainable business practices both in relation to the environment and the local Chinese employees who work there. The Retreat was founded as a training center, promoting local culture and tourism development. It employs 14 staff from local villages, all of whom receive ongoing English, computer, and hospitality business training. It uses local renewable raw materials such as bamboo to furnish the hotel and sells a range of locally made village products.
As a result of its sustainable tourism practices which include use of renewable energy and recycling systems, YSMR has been nominated for various awards including The Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Award(2007)
The hotel allocates 5% of its annual profits to the China –U.S. Medical Foundation established in 2002 by Chris Barclay. The not-for-profit organisation aims at helping Chinese children with OI (Osteogenesis Imperfecta, or Brittle Bone Disease).
