This is a guesthouse in the Yangshan area of Haikou City, Hainan Province - Muxin Stone House. You’ll feel like you’ve discovered Hainan’s version of the Secret Garden as you enter the colorful courtyard, where you can cool off under the trees, talk about everything and anything, play chess, or ride a bike and pick some fruit to experience the many joys of the countryside.

Muxin Stone House Photo/Li Hao

Muxin Stone House Photo/Li Hao

Ancient Volcano Village

Muxin Stone House is located in Ruzhang Village, Yongxing Town, Xiuying District, Haikou City, Hainan Province. It is located on the outskirts of the Haikou Yangshan Area, close to the Haikou Volcano Park, and features thousands of lychee trees. It is a good place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and take some time for yourself to just relax.

Ruzhang Village is an ancient village, dating back hundreds of years. Here you will find all kinds of fruits and spices such as lychee, wampee, ginger, and jackfruit.

This close to the inactive Haikou volcano, the area is littered with a large number of volcanic rocks, and the thin soil makes it difficult to grow traditional crops. Since they are so convenient, the locals have traditionally built their homes from the one thing they have an overabundance of - volcanic stone! This is the case in Ruzhang Village, which is like a "stone kingdom", with volcanic stone porches, stone roads, stone walls, and stone houses. Lanes there are lined with volcanic stone walls of varying heights, and there are more than 30 volcanic stone yards and volcanic stone houses scattered around the village.

Muxin Stone House Photo/Li Hao

Muxin Stone House Photo/Li Hao

A volcanic stone guesthouse in the ancient village

"The first time I came here, I was attracted by the sense of age and history of the stones, and it is the perfect place to get away from the crowds."

Zhang Yanan is the project leader of the Muxin Stone House guesthouse. Swept up in the wave of enthusiasm for developing the beautiful countryside that is washing over China, this bright Sichuan girl originally thought of returning home to develop the countrysideguesthouse industry there. Instead, she chose to stay and enjoy an idyllic, poetic lifestyle in this ancient Haikouvolcanic village.

Muxin Stone House Photo/Li Hao

Muxin Stone House Photo/Li Hao

Muxin Stone House Photo/Li Hao

During the guesthouse renovation process, the whole Muxin Stone House team agreed to try not to destroy the surrounding vegetation, and to this day, a 260-year-old lychee tree remains. "The most important thing is to integrate the guesthouse with the countryside. That’s why the Muxin Stone House renovation used mainly local materials."