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B&B boom fuels demand for managers in China

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By Shi Zhipeng

“Hello! Do you still have rooms available?”
“Hello! We have two rooms available. When do you plan to arrive? Do you have any special requests for the room?”
B&B manager Kong Jie picked up the phone and handled a reservation enquiry at a B&B hotel in Jiuru Mountain scenic area in Jinan city, east China’s Shandong province.
After communicating with the guest, Kong and the guest became connected with each other on WeChat, an instant messaging application. She then shared the location of the B&B hotel and its parking lot so the guest would find it easily.
China has more than one million B&B managers. Last year, B&B hotel managers officially became a new profession recognized by the country’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.
By providing customized services including accommodation, dining, and experiencing local natural environment, culture and lifestyles, B&B managers meet tourists’ needs for individualized experiences.
Kong, 37 years old, is from Jining city of Shandong. Before starting to work in the B&B industry six years ago, she had done several odd jobs in different places.
Over the past 6 years, Kong has witnessed the rapid growth of the B&B industry.
“The form and content of tourism in China have undergone tremendous changes in recent years. Tourists no longer satisfy themselves with simple sightseeing, but like to experience in richer ways,” Kong said.
B&B hotels emphasize service and experience, allowing guests to return to nature and feel warm and intimate, comfortable and relaxed.
The booming B&B industry has driven the development of rural tourism and boosted local employment.
Liu Li, a 45-year-old B&B manager, is a villager from nearby Huluyu village. Before doing this job, Liu was a housewife with no source of income.
“After B&B hotels became popular, I pursued training to become a B&B manager, leading to a fulfilling job near home,” Liu said.
Now, Liu’s child has gone away to university. Being a B&B manager allows her to conveniently take care of her elderly family members. Liu said she is very satisfied with her job.
Good B&B managers are often “jacks of all trades.”
According to Kong, the daily work of B&B managers is very comprehensive and not easy to do.
In addition to basic accommodation services such as check-in, reception, cleaning and meal arrangements, B&B managers also plan travel routes for guests and recommend attractions, offering travel tips regarding mountain climbing, water activities, and visiting the scenic area’s experience centers.
B&B managers also need to receive training on many skills, including creating a welcoming atmosphere, reception etiquette, coffee brewing, wine tasting and flower arrangement. Mastering these brings pressure and challenges to Kong, while promoting the hotel on social media is her toughest task.
Social media and short videos provide new channels to promote B&B hotels.
“I’m learning to use Douyin, Xiaohongshu and other social media apps,” said Kong. “I host live-streaming sessions regularly to showcase our hotel’s homey feel. Posting photos and text about our hotel helps more potential guests discover what we offer,” said Kong.
“After a few live-streaming sessions, I’ve received many questions from viewers about our location, pricing, and the surrounding scenic area. This makes me feel delighted,” said Kong.
In the recreation center of Kong’s B&B hotel, laughter rang out as Kong chatted happily with guests Ms. Dong and her family. During the conservations, Kong made coffee for them.
Compared to hotel services, B&B hotels emphasize personalized services with the human touch.
Recently, a guest at Kong’s hotel had a fever in the middle of the night. Since there were no pharmacies nearby in the mountainous region and the guest did not have any medicine, the accompanying family members were very worried. They called Kong for help.
“After we learned of the situation, we immediately drove to town, bought antipyretics and delivered them to the guest,” Kong recalled. At 7 a.m. the next day, the guest texted her on WeChat that the fever was gone and expressed their gratitude.
One guest visited Kong’s hotel and kept coming back, sometimes with family and sometimes for company team building events. Every time before leaving, he would tell the managers what they did well during his stay and what could be improved. He also shared books he was reading with them. Over time, he formed deep friendships with the managers.

Kong has many stories like this from her time as a B&B manager. What she cherishes most are the connections she has made with guests from across the country.

“Everyone has their own story. Communicating with the guests opens my eyes to new possibilities in life,” she said.
“B&B managers becoming a new profession not only means we’ve gained social recognition, but our future lives will have more prospects. In the future, I want to learn more skills such as tea ceremony and making wine, and then get certified,” Kong expressed. The woman has started making plans for her future career development.

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Trump begins mass layoffs at Voice of America

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The Trump administration has initiated sweeping layoffs at Voice of America (VOA) and other U.S.-funded international broadcasters, effectively dismantling institutions long seen as critical for American influence abroad.

 

On Sunday, contractors working for VOA received an email notification that their employment would be terminated by the end of March. “You must cease all work immediately and are not permitted to access any agency buildings or systems,” the email read, according to multiple staff members who confirmed the development.

 

The move, which comes just a day after all employees were placed on administrative leave, disproportionately affects non-English-language services, where contractors make up a significant portion of the workforce. Many of these contractors are not U.S. citizens and may now face visa issues, further complicating their status in the country.

 

While most full-time staff remain employed for now, they have been told not to work, leaving VOA and its sister organizations in a state of uncertainty. Some services, unable to produce new programming, have resorted to playing music.

 

VOA, founded during World War II, has been a critical tool for U.S. public diplomacy, broadcasting in 49 languages to audiences in countries where press freedom is restricted. However, President Trump signed an executive order on Friday targeting its parent organization, the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), as part of broader federal budget cuts.

 

The cuts extend beyond VOA, affecting other U.S.-funded media entities such as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, Radio Farda (which broadcasts in Persian to Iran), and Alhurra, an Arabic-language network launched after the 2003 Iraq invasion. The administration argues that taxpayers should not fund what it calls “radical propaganda,” despite VOA’s longstanding editorial independence.

 

Liam Scott, a VOA journalist covering press freedom and disinformation, expressed concern over the decision. “I’ve covered press freedom for a long time, and I’ve never seen something like what’s happened in the U.S. over the past couple of months,” he wrote on social media.

 

The move has drawn international attention, particularly from China and Russia, which have been expanding their own state-funded media efforts. The Chinese state-run *Global Times* reacted with an editorial declaring that “the monopoly of information held by traditional Western media is being shattered.”

 

Trump’s administration has pursued aggressive cuts across federal agencies, including eliminating most foreign aid and significantly reducing the Department of Education. With input from tech billionaire Elon Musk, Trump has focused on reducing government size to facilitate tax cuts.

 

As the global media landscape shifts, the dismantling of U.S.-funded broadcasters leaves a vacuum that could be filled by rival state-controlled networks. Whether Congress or legal challenges will intervene remains to be seen, but for now, the future of America’s international broadcasting efforts hangs in the balance.

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Judge blocks Trump from deporting non-citizens using wartime law

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A federal judge has temporarily halted the Trump administration’s attempt to deport migrants allegedly linked to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua under a wartime law.

US District Judge James Boasberg issued a restraining order preventing the administration from using the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to expel undocumented migrants accused of gang ties. The order initially protected five individuals challenging the deportation but was later expanded to all affected noncitizens in US custody.

Boasberg also directed that any planes carrying these migrants be returned to the United States. “Any plane containing these folks that is going to take off or is in the air needs to be returned,” he ruled. The restraining order will remain in effect for 14 days or until further court action.

The Trump administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act, citing Tren de Aragua as a terrorist organization that has “unlawfully infiltrated the United States” and is engaging in hostile actions. However, civil rights groups, including the ACLU, argue that the gang’s activities do not meet the legal definition of an invasion.

The Justice Department has appealed the ruling, while the case continues in court.

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China’s new chapter in global innovation

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By Gu Yekai, Liu Yiqing, People’s Daily

At a smart construction project site managed by China State Construction Engineering Corporation, a quiet technological revolution is underway. Amid cranes and concrete, engineers are deploying advanced artificial intelligence (AI) systems that could fundamentally reshape the construction industry.

Li Fengjian, an AI specialistwith Xianyuan Technology, detailed how the company’s latest intelligent system – built on a large model – adapts to complex construction environments.”Engineering machinery equipped with intelligent agents can adjust its operations automatically in response to weather conditions,” Li explained, adding that a spatiotemporal sensing network further enhances the system, providing real-time tracking of both personnel and materials throughout the construction site.

In February this year, Xianyuan Technology rapidly integrated its self-developed model with DeepSeek-R1, effectively blending a general-purpose framework with industry-specific models. This integration, Li noted, has produced a solution capable of delivering expert-level performance in challenging, dynamic environments. The firm is based in the Shanghai Foundation Model Innovation Center, aburgeoning AI incubator that now hosts over 200 innovative enterprises.

China’s technological transformation extends well beyond the construction sector. Overthe past three decades, the country has evolved from its initial forays into internet connectivity to becoming a key player in global digital innovation.

Here, a steady stream of technological innovations are emerging, from the early days of emails and web browsing to the cutting-edge technologies represented by DeepSeek and the dynamic evolution of social media.

Wu Jianping, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering and headof the Zhongguancun Laboratory, pointed out that while China had introduced only one internet standard before 2005, it now contributes to over 200 worldwide. Such strides illustrate the country’s concerted push toward high-level technological self-reliance – a journey marked by both persistence and determination.

Beyond the digital realm, China is makingsignificant inroads in aerospace, new energy, and other high-tech sectors. It has transitioned from being a follower to standing shoulder-to-shoulder with global leaders, and in some areas, even taking the lead. Wu attributed these achievements to a dynamic ecosystem of policy reforms and talent cultivation that encourages creativity and technical expertise at every level.

Amid intensifying international competition, collaborative research and the integration of new technologies with traditional industries are central to China’s high-quality economic development.

Mei Linhai, a researcher at China’s State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Intelligence, remarked that the age of AI calls for continuous exploration. “In this era, everyone is an innovator. Only by persistently pushing the boundaries can we remain at the forefront of both technological and industrial development,” Mei observed.

In the field of general-purpose AI, Mei emphasized that independent innovation is paramount. He advocates for a self-driven industrial ecosystem that leveragesbreakthrough technologies to boost productivity and unlock new possibilities, Mei said.

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