Zhang Xiaojuan, the owner of Chaoting 1919 inn on Kulangsu Island in Xiamen, Fujian Province (MA LI) 

Wandering through a maze of alleyways just a stone's throw away from the crowded Sanqiutian Wharf on Kulangsu Island in Xiamen, Fujian Province, the surrounding peace and tranquility is broken only by the whisper of banyan tree leaves in the gentle breeze. Rows of impressive, century-old villas stand guard over the visitors who respectfully pass by. Some of the villas were abandoned or deserted for decades, and it was only a few years ago that young, creative entrepreneurs started to restore these decayed buildings to their former glory, converting them into quaint inns, trendy restaurants or art galleries.

One such entrepreneur is Zhang Xiaojuan who brought back to life a villa built in 1919 by a Dutch businessman in one of these alleyways and opened a 24-room inn after a couple of years of negotiation and renovation. This dynamic woman who has recently turned 40 knows the meaning of perseverance and determination.

Zhang's early interest in Kulangsu's rich architectural heritage quickly grew into a lifelong passion as early as 2007. "I was working for an Australian company in Xiamen and I would accompany foreign visitors on their trip to Kulangsu. That is how I fell in love with this small island," she said.

A gem of devotion 

It took Zhang over a year to find the villa of her dreams. "There are so many villas on Kulangsu, so it's really difficult to find one that feels right," she recalled fondly. She then came across a villa that felt like home in 2010. "I called this place 'Chaoting 1919' (Nest 1919) because I wanted everyone—employees and guests alike—to experience a royal atmosphere," she explained.

Finding the right place was however the least of Zhang's worries, as she would eventually go through some legal hurdles to get her project off the ground.

One challenging task was to identify the landlord. This problem is recurrent in Kulangsu, said Cai Songrong, Deputy Director of the Kulangsu World Cultural Heritage Monitoring and Management Center. "Most of the villas on Kulangsu have been abandoned or left to administrators after 1949, and now tenants have to deal with dozens, even hundreds of legal heirs scattered across the world," he said. "It's an almost impossible task."

Zhang faced the same predicament. "The villa has 17 legal heirs, and they have never met, so I was not able to buy this place," she noted with an overtone of regret. "In 2009, prices were still low in Kulangsu."

Another difficulty was to renovate the villa. Chaoting 1919 had been listed as a protected building and renovation proved difficult due to limited room for structural alteration. Furthermore, its architectural style had to be preserved. "Some materials used a hundred years ago are now either hard to come by or very expensive," Zhang said. "I had to hire experienced craftsmen from Henan Province and we managed to give this building a complete facelift as rain and moisture had rotted away the woodwork."

She finally got her renovation project approved by the authorities and opened for business in August 2012 after 13 months of hard toil. Zhang reckoned that she spent some 10 million yuan ($1.45 million) for the renovation and the interior design between 2010 and 2014.

 A guestroom in Chaoting 1919 (MA LI)

On September 15, 2016, Typhoon Meranti, one of the most intense tropical cyclones on record, crippled Kulangsu. Chaoting 1919 was not spared. "I was here that night and I thought Meranti would blow away the entire building. It was so frightening," Zhang said. The building resisted valiantly and got away with a few broken windows and some damaged furniture.

Chaoting 1919 can host up to 50 guests. Each room is designed with exquisite taste and the furniture has a unique European touch.

Zhang had no previous experience in hotel management whatsoever. "I just threw myself into it. The endeavor is just like my own child. We are growing together," she said. "I did everything here, I ordered every tile, every slab, in this house. I had to supervise everything."

In order to retain the character of this venerable villa, Zhang went through a rather painstaking process, sourcing different material from across Europe. For instance, the floor tiles are new and were imported from Italy, but they have been slightly abraded so that they appear to be covered with a darkish, smooth patina.

The old roof tiles were not discarded after they had been replaced: They now decorate the walls in the small lobby and form such a harmonious whole that they are hardly noticeable. "This is something no one has probably ever thought about," she said proudly. "Some people ask why this wall looks dirty, and I tell them that these are the original roof tiles. They have braved the elements for a hundred years."

Each room has been carefully designed and decorated with furniture from Denmark and the Czech Republic. "The furniture looks old, but this is how I want it to be," Zhang said. "Had I bought the furniture in Xiamen, it would have cost me half the price, but I really wanted to have the perfect place for my guests."

Domestic guests come mainly from Shanghai and Guangdong Province, and foreigners have accounted for 50 percent of the customers of Chaoting 1919, especially since Kulangsu launched its bid for UNESCO world heritage site protection in 2015.

 The patio of Chaoting 1919 (MA LI)

Fall into romance 

Zhang never thought she would find both success and happiness when she embarked on her business endeavor in Kulangsu.

Love knocked on her door one day in 2015 when she met a French painter, Pierre-Yves Gervais, from the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. "He was one of my guests and had booked a room for a few days. I could see that he was really fond of me," Zhang recalled vividly. "He was as romantic as a Frenchman can be." She had divorced two years earlier and was not keen on a relationship. "I thought long and hard about it. I found out that we had a lot in common and that we could talk openly about anything. Our relationship is not complicated."

They got married a year later. Although they spend time apart for weeks, sometimes months at a stretch, they remain close and attentive to each other's needs. "Every time I want to change the decoration, I ask for his advice. He is honest and tells me if he likes the idea or not," she said. "He is a very talented person, so I listen carefully to his suggestions."

In the evening, as dusk sets in, Zhang usually takes a walk along the beach and enjoys the cool sea breeze. If this is not paradise, it really looks like it.