Homestay Becomes "Family Home" — Over 450 Brides Have "Left Home" in 11 Years

▲ Xu Yunu (left), the homestay owner, treats every bride like her own daughter, preparing dowries for them. (Photo provided by Lanyuan Homestay)

Tourism Center / Comprehensive Report

The homestay is like a family home — Nantou County Caotun TownshipXu Yunu, owner of Lanyuan Homestay, opened the first homestay in Caotun Township. It later unexpectedly became a “family home” for brides from other places, and in the past 11 years, she has helped send off over 450 brides. She said every guest is like her own daughter, and she cries every time one leaves after getting married.

Xu Yunu said that because her family only had a son and no daughters, she never got to enjoy the joy of preparing a dowry for a daughter. So she treats every bride who holds their wedding at the homestay as her own daughter, wholeheartedly ensuring every couple’s wedding goes perfectly.

▲ Lanyuan Homestay serves as a “family home” for brides from out of town. (Photo provided by Lanyuan Homestay)

Mom Xu said,during the 921 Earthquake, she lent her house to disaster victims. Later, it unexpectedly turned into a homestay. Eleven years ago, there were no big hotels in town, so couples getting married and their relatives would stay at the homestay and ask her to help prepare the “bridal trousseau (dowry) final load” and cook sweet soups, among other things.Familiar with wedding traditions, Xu Yunu said, “As long as the bride, groom, and their relatives come, I’ll prepare everything you need for the wedding!”

Through word of mouth, more and more people started treating the homestay as their “family home.” There was even a case where nine children from a central Taiwan family got married, with all the brides leaving from this homestay. Xu Yunu said, “Someone once came twice in one month. We later found out it was because the eldest sister was getting married this time.”

During weddings, Xu Yunu not only plays the role of a mother preparing the dowry but also acts as a matchmaker at the ceremony, always ready with rhyming blessings. Mom Xu said the blessings are all her own inventions, such as “Eat apples for better relationships” and “Eat grapes and worries will disappear.”

Mom Xu once encountered a young couple in their early twenties. The woman, heavily pregnant, came with her boyfriend wanting to get married, but sadly their parents opposed it. The owner called both families to persuade them to send an elder, and prepared a simple yet meaningful dowry to complete the young couple’s wedding.

In 11 years, over 450 “daughters” have left home. Whenever they have time, these “daughters” return to the “family home” with their kids. Mom Xu said, “Their kids now call me Grandma!”

Mom Xu also enjoys playing matchmaker for unmarried couples, so the homestay also hosts “Lanyuan Matchmaker Homestay Mixers.” Over 11 years, more than 100 couples have married thanks to her introductions or events.

Lanyuan Homestay
No. 11, Lane 171, Section 3, Fencao Road, Caotun Township, Nantou County
Phone: 04 9233 0746