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

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