In this episode, I travel to Keqiao, an ancient water town in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, where history stretches back more than 1,700 years. But beneath the canals, stone bridges, and historic buildings lies a much deeper story—one written millions of years ago. I sit down with Fang Lei (Florence), the co-founder of the Pangu Fossil Museum, to talk about how a personal passion for fossils unexpectedly turned into a museum with more than 3,000 ancient specimens.

Florence and her husband never planned to build a museum. They were interior designers from Hong Kong who simply loved collecting fossils. But when they discovered the perfect historic building in Keqiao, their private collection became something bigger—a place for education, curiosity, and wonder. We talk about how fossils change the way we see our place in history, why she curates the museum differently from traditional institutions, and how the project eventually led to Shaoxing’s first museum-themed homestay for visiting scientists and travelers.

Episode Highlights

[00:00] – Introducing Keqiao, an ancient water town where a story millions of years old lies beneath the ground.

[02:02] – How the Pangu Fossil Museum began and why Florence and her husband chose to share their private fossil collection with the public.

[06:23] – The unexpected beginning: a fossil discovered during a design project in Shanghai sparks a lifelong passion.

[07:23] – Finding the perfect Jiangnan-style historic building and transforming it into a museum in Keqiao.

[09:19] – Why standing in front of ancient fossils reminds us how small humans are in the timeline of Earth.

[10:54] – Florence explains how she curates fossils differently—treating them as both scientific artifacts and works of natural beauty.

[11:52] – Teaching students that dinosaurs once lived right beneath Zhejiang’s soil.

[14:15] – Scientists begin visiting the museum, inspiring the creation of Shaoxing’s first museum-themed homestay.

[16:50] – Florence shares her philosophy on following intuition and learning new skills along the way.

[18:30] – Closing reflection: why preserving fossils helps us understand the deeper story of life on Earth.

Links and Resources

This episode is sponsored by China Eastern Airlines, who supported my travel for this journey. You can learn more about their routes and destinations at us.ceair.com.

Interested in visiting this homestay? You can find them on Trip.com

https://www.trip.com/w/YPUkzsE7aT2

Follow Amelia

Instagram: @AmeliaOldOfficial

Website: https://AmeliaOld.com

If you enjoyed this episode of Voices of Inspiration, please take a moment to follow the podcast, leave a rating, share the episode, and write a review. Your support helps these stories reach more people around the world.

In this episode, I take you to Shaoxing, a historic city in China’s Zhejiang Province where an ancient tradition continues to shape daily life. Known for producing Shaoxing yellow rice wine, this region has been crafting its signature brew for thousands of years using the same natural elements—local water, climate, and air—that make its flavor impossible to replicate anywhere else. But this story isn’t just about wine; it’s about culture, heritage, and the people working to keep traditions alive.

I sit down with Zhu Qingli, the founder of a unique homestay dedicated entirely to Shaoxing wine culture. He shares how guests can experience the full journey—from learning the craft to brewing their own jar of wine—and why preserving this centuries-old tradition matters so deeply to him. Along the way, we explore the philosophy behind traditional craftsmanship, the meaning of cultural preservation, and what it truly takes to dedicate your life to something you love.

Episode Highlights

[0:00] – In Shaoxing, guests experience something far beyond a typical visit. Travelers learn the ancient process of brewing yellow rice wine and leave with a small clay jar containing the wine they helped create—often sealed with personal wishes or blessings.

[1:05] – Shaoxing’s reputation for yellow rice wine comes from a rare combination of natural elements. The local water from Jianhu Lake, the climate, and even the microorganisms in the air all contribute to a flavor that cannot easily be recreated anywhere else.

[3:00] – Huangjiu, often translated as “yellow rice wine,” is introduced along with its brewing process. Unlike grape wine, it’s brewed more like beer using glutinous rice, creating complex flavors that can be sweet, nutty, earthy, or savory.

[6:50] – Zhu Qingli shares the story behind his homestay, a cultural space designed to help visitors—especially international travelers—understand the history, craftsmanship, and cultural importance of Shaoxing wine.

[9:34] – The fascinating Kaiba stage of brewing reveals how the winemaker’s personality can influence the final taste. Patience, instinct, and attention during fermentation leave subtle marks on every batch.

[11:19] – Guests at the homestay experience the entire journey of the craft: observing traditional methods, learning the history behind the process, tasting the wine, and eventually brewing their own jar.

[12:43] – Zhu discusses his book Searching for the Taste of Shaoxing, which explores the city’s culinary traditions, cultural customs, and hospitality practices—including the ceremonial ten-course meal served to honored guests.

[14:43] – A meaningful ritual allows visitors to take home the jar of wine they created. Many choose to write messages or blessings inside before sealing the jar, turning the experience into a personal memory.

[15:45] – One memorable guest arrived from Beijing knowing very little about Shaoxing wine but left deeply inspired. The experience sparked a friendship with Zhu and eventually led the visitor to help promote Shaoxing wine culture.

[18:07] – Zhu reflects on the belief that passion and dedication give meaning to difficult work. Even without large financial rewards, preserving this tradition remains a life choice he feels proud of.

Links and Resources:
This episode is sponsored by China Eastern Airlines, who supported my travel for this journey. You can learn more about their routes and destinations at us.ceair.com.

Interested in visiting this homestay? You can find them on Trip.com https://www.trip.com/w/k4gak3FtPT2

Shen’ao Village sits just outside Hangzhou, in China’s Zhejiang province. This is where Amelia met JoAnn Leung.

JoAnn left city life behind and restored a 240-year-old courtyard house here, turning it into Eight Blessings Inn. It isn’t built around amenities or schedules. It’s built around meals, conversation, and the belief that time spent together still matters.

In this episode, Amelia and JoAnn talk about following a calling later in life, starting over without certainty, and taking responsibility for a place and the people who move through it. JoAnn doesn’t frame her story as reinvention. It’s simply the life she chose—and the one she continues to tend to every day.

Shen’ao isn’t preserved. It’s lived in. Craftsmen open their workshops. Neighbors stop to talk. An ancient drainage system still works beneath the stone paths. The village does what it has always done.

This episode isn’t about travel as escape. It’s about paying attention—to where you are, to the people around you, and to the kind of life you’re building.

🎥 The YouTube version includes photos and video clips from Shen’ao Village and Eight Blessings Inn.

Topics Covered

• Life inside Shen’ao Village, a thousand-year-old working community
• Following a calling later in life
• Restoring a 240-year-old courtyard house
• Building Eight Blessings Inn around meals and conversation
• Responsibility to place and people
• Choosing attention over pace

Keywords

Shen’ao Village, Shenao Village, Hangzhou China, Zhejiang China, Zhejiang Province, Eight Blessings Inn, historic villages in China, slow travel, cultural travel, heritage travel, China bed and breakfast

Listen & Share

If this episode resonated, consider sharing it with someone who values thoughtful travel, meaningful conversation, or stories about choosing a different way to live. Following the show and leaving a review helps these stories reach others.

Sponsor

This episode is sponsored by China Eastern Airlines, who supported Amelia’s travel for this journey.

You can learn more about their routes and destinations at:
https://us.ceair.com/en/

Photos from this journey are shared at @AmeliaOldOfficial, with additional details at AmeliaOld.com

This episode takes place at Qianhuang Bay, a family-run homestay in Xiling Village, during an evening spent with homestay owner Zhu Xiaokui and his family.

Amelia talks with Zhu Xiaokui about how Qianhuang Bay came to be and why he chose to stay rooted in the village where he grew up. The homestay wasn’t created to present rural life for visitors. It developed out of an existing way of life, with family involvement and daily routines shaped by the land. As the first homestay in Xiling Village, it became the starting point for what followed.

Today, Xiling Village is home to more than thirty homestays. Families share resources rather than compete, host travelers and group retreats together, and work toward a definition of success centered on continuity — families staying connected, neighbors supporting one another, and the village moving forward collectively.

This episode isn’t focused on destinations or itineraries. It examines what happens when time isn’t rushed, when people sit together and pay attention, and when hospitality is built gradually and sustained over time.

This episode is sponsored by China Eastern Airlines, who supported my travel for this journey. You can learn more about their routes and destinations at: https://us.ceair.com/en/

Topics Covered

• Family-run homestays in Xiling Village
• Opening the village’s first homestay at Qianhuang Bay
• Building a cooperative model instead of competing for visitors
• Hosting travelers and group retreats as a shared village effort
• Daily and seasonal rhythms shaped by land, family, and routine
• Time as a foundation for meaningful hospitality

Keywords

Qianhuang Bay, Xiling Village, Zhu Xiaokui, rural homestay, family-run homestay, village cooperation, rural revitalization, sustainable travel, hospitality and community, gift of time

Listen & Share

If this conversation resonated, share it with someone who could use a reminder to slow down. Subscribe, leave a review, and find more episodes of Voices of Inspiration wherever you listen.

Photos and moments from this journey are on social at @AmeliaOldOfficial, and you can learn more about my work at AmeliaOld.com .

A roadside crowd in South Carolina. An ancient mountain path in Jingshan. A scarf passed hand to hand and a cup of whisked tea that turns strangers into friends. This episode traces those moments to show how small, intentional acts can travel farther than we expect.

In this episode, Amelia sits down with Zhang Hongyan, a second-generation tea practitioner who returned home to preserve the art of Diancha and open a tea-focused homestay at the base of Jingshan Mountain. She shares how the Jingshan Tea Banquet, rooted in the Tang and Song dynasties, brings together Zen philosophy, etiquette, and presence. Beyond ceremony, she founded Songyun Tea Affairs, a women-led collective that has trained and employed dozens of local women, creating opportunity while keeping cultural heritage alive in the village.

We also step into Jingshan Temple and the living culture that surrounds it. Amelia reflects on wearing Hanfu with care, the difference between appropriation and appreciation, and why heritage here isn’t preserved behind glass. It’s practiced every day, in temples, teahouses, and family rituals.

This episode is sponsored by China Eastern Airlines, who supported my travel to Changxing, China. You can learn more about their routes and destinations at: https://us.ceair.com/en/

In this episode:
• The origins of the Jingshan Tea Banquet
• The art of Diancha and why it still matters
• Building a women-led tea collective
• Visiting Jingshan Temple and wearing Hanfu with respect
• How one cup of tea can change a life

If this conversation spoke to you, share it with someone who could use a reminder to slow down. Subscribe, leave a review, and find more episodes of Voices of Inspiration wherever you listen.

Photos and moments from this journey are on social at @AmeliaOldOfficial, and you can learn more about my work at AmeliaOld.com .

Keywords

Jingshan Tea Banquet, Diancha, Jingshan Temple, Hanfu, Zhang Hongyan, Songyun Tea Affairs, Buddhist monks Walk for Peace, women in tea culture, Chinese tea ceremony, Voices of Inspiration podcast

In this episode of Voices of Inspiration, Amelia Old travels to Yinxing Guli Homestay in Changxing County, Zhejiang, China, located near the famous gingko tree corridor.

Amelia spends the afternoon with the homestay owner, experiencing a traditional herbal tea bath and moxibustion therapy, and reflecting on how challenging it can be to sit still without distractions. The owner shares how she transitioned from the tea industry to running the homestay, the meaning behind the name Yinxing Guli (“ginkgo hometown”), and the everyday values that guide her work.

Photos and video from this visit are available on the YouTube version of this episode.

Topics Covered

• Yinxing Guli Homestay in Changxing, China
• Herbal tea baths and moxibustion therapy
• Ginkgo corridor and seasonal travel in Zhejiang
• Journey from tea to hospitality
• Family values and daily life at a rural homestay
• Learning to slow down while traveling

This episode is sponsored by China Eastern Airlines, who supported my travel to Changxing, China. You can learn more about their routes and destinations at: https://us.ceair.com/en/

For more information about Yinxing Guli Homestay and planning your own visit, you can find their listing here:
https://us.trip.com/hotels/changxing-hotel-detail-9055720/yinxing-guli-hotel/

Keywords:

Yinxing Guli Homestay, Changxing China, Zhejiang travel, ginkgo corridor China, herbal tea bath, moxibustion therapy, rural homestay China, Voices of Inspiration podcast, travel wellness China

In this episode of Voices of Inspiration, host Amelia Old visits Yunqi She Homestay in Changxing County, Zhejiang Province, to meet Mr. Fang Xiaoping, a fifth-generation practitioner of Wumei, a smoked plum tradition that has been part of this region for more than 500 years.

The episode features Mr. Fang speaking in Chinese with translation by Joanna, allowing his voice to remain part of the conversation while making his story accessible. Together they discuss how Wumei is produced, how rural homestays are growing across Zhejiang, and what it takes to run a small, twenty-room property outside major cities.

Amelia also reflects on what it was like to move through daily life while relying on translation, and how that experience reshaped the way she paid attention to people and conversations around her.

Topics in this episode include:

• the history and process behind Wumei
• rural homestays and short-stay travel from cities like Shanghai and Hangzhou
• balancing tradition with modern hospitality
• staffing challenges in the countryside
• plans to build a working farm and complete production chain
• what visitors take home beyond photos

SUPPORT THE SHOW

If you enjoy the episode, a rating or review on your preferred podcast platform helps more listeners find the show.

More information about Voices of Inspiration, along with episode updates and newsletter sign-ups, is available at ameliaold.com and voicesofinspirationpodcast.com

This episode of Voices of Inspiration takes place in Miaoxi, a village in the Huzhou region of Zhejiang Province, China.

The episode follows time spent at a family-run homestay and a conversation with the owner, Wang Ying, about daily life, hosting travelers, and her transition from working in finance to welcoming guests into her home. Through the discussion, the episode captures moments from the property, walks through tea-covered mountains near the village, and the small details that shaped the experience of staying in rural Zhejiang.

Rather than focusing on major landmarks, the episode centers on place, pace, and everyday life outside of China’s largest cities.

KEY TOPICS

• Staying at a family-run homestay in Miaoxi, Zhejiang
• Time spent walking through tea-covered mountains near the village
• Daily life and seasonal rhythms in rural Zhejiang
• A conversation with Wang Ying about hosting travelers
• Family involvement in running the property
• Navigating language barriers while traveling
• Small tools that helped simplify travel logistics
• Beginning the homestay-focused portion of the China series

BOOKING INFORMATION

Listeners interested in staying at the homestay featured in this episode can find details and booking information at the link below:

Huzhou Miaoxi Slide Meisu
https://www.trip.com/hotels/v2/huzhou-hotel-detail-44559210/huzhou-miaoxi-slide-meisu/

The property is located approximately 16 km from Huzhou Railway Station and is near local attractions including Elves Alley, Xisaishan Holiday Resort, and Huzhou Giraffe Manor.

SUPPORT THE SHOW

If you enjoy the episode, a rating or review on your preferred podcast platform helps more listeners find the show.

More information about Voices of Inspiration, along with episode updates and newsletter sign-ups, is available at ameliaold.com and voicesofinspirationpodcast.com