RV life blooming in Guizhou campground

Cucumbers climb from a planter, and freshly brewed coffee fills the air. Li Qun steps outside to greet her neighbors. It feels like a small neighborhood, with gardens, tables and people lingering outside.

But there are no houses here. The homes are parked on wheels.

Starting in April, hundreds of RVs have rolled into Baili Dujuan, Bijie, Guizhou province, turning parking lots here into seasonal communities. Average temperatures hover around 19 C, drawing retirees, families and long-term travelers seeking relief from the heat.

Some stay just a few days at this springtime rhododendron destination. Many stay for months.

Around Li's RV, flowers and vegetables fill recycled containers. A small table and low stools spill into the parking space. Li arrived in June, and in many ways, she said, the campground now feels like home.

Li, from Sichuan province, first visited in 2021.

Now nearing 60 and retired after working in the construction industry, she has been traveling around China in a recreational vehicle with her husband on a 10-year journey.

She returned the following year in her own RV and began recommending the destination to fellow RV enthusiasts. Word spread, and the campground gradually filled with seasonal residents.

"I've visited almost all the attractions nearby," Li said. "Now I just enjoy staying here quietly."

Sometimes she makes liangfen, a chilled starch jelly that is a specialty of her hometown, and sells it to her neighbors.

"I'm not doing this to make money," she said. "When I'm in the mood, I just make a few bowls."

When villagers bring her fresh vegetables, she always makes a few extra bowls to share with friends.

Around her, other RV owners have made their parking spaces their own. They grow vegetables, cook meals and visit neighbors from across China.

At Baili Dujuan, everyday life is simple and social. New arrivals often get help from their temporary neighbors to pitch awnings and tents, then make the space their own with flowers, potted plants and even karaoke machines.

RV groups and word of mouth have helped turn the campground into a thriving community of travelers who stay for weeks or months. Residents head to local markets, pick up fresh produce, cook meals and visit one another. When the summer break begins, children also join their parents on the road.

"Everyone here feels like a neighbor," said Chen Yan, the site manager.

During the peak season, the campground also holds communal banquets, bonfire parties and performances. The peak season usually runs from May through September.

Some visitors arrive as early as April to see the rhododendrons, then decide to stay after experiencing the cool weather.

Daily parking fees range from 10 to 68 yuan ($1.48 to 10.10), depending on the space and access to utilities.

But the climate is the main draw. Luo Ji, deputy director of the Baili Dujuan culture and tourism bureau, said summer temperatures average about 19 C. Surrounded by forests, the area also has relatively high levels of negative oxygen ions, which can support respiratory and circulatory health.

For city dwellers looking to escape the heat, he said, it is like a "natural air conditioner".

Mao Jingbo, from Zhejiang province, came for much the same reason. The 39-year-old arrived with her young daughter and now runs the campground's only permanent coffee shop.

An avid RV traveler who has toured places including the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Mao said Baili Dujuan remains her favorite summer destination. The heat in her hometown makes it difficult to take her daughter outdoors. Here, she can simply step outside the RV and let her daughter play.

On a good day, Mao sells 15 or 16 cups of coffee. On a quiet day, she may sell only one or two. Mao, a devoted coffee lover, said she sees making a good cup of coffee as a pleasure in itself.

"I don't worry about how much I make each day," she said. "As long as I can cover the campground fee, that's good enough."

Chen estimated that about 42 percent stay for three to four months, while others remain for one to two months or even four to five months. Only about 10 percent stay less than a month.

Together, they have created a seasonal community that moves with the weather. When temperatures drop in late September, many pack up and head south to Yunnan province, the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region or Hainan province. Their RVs become homes on the move, carrying them from one comfortable season to the next.

For some, the good life is not complicated: an RV, a few pots of vegetables, a cup of coffee and a long summer afternoon with nowhere else to be.