Hi, this is Mix, say hello from the Panda city Chengdu, a gateway to roof of the world "Tibet".

I didn't understand backpacking until I met a Canadian lady Vicki in an English Chat Room on Paltalk - an application very few Chinese people used back then. She said that she is going to Songpan, and I said we can meet in Chengdu. I used my Chinglish to make an appointment with her, but her arrival was delayed. That was the year of september 11.

I met her in a 2-star Chinese hotel, frankly speaking I didn't understand why a foreigner would stay there, it was a "shitting" one but later I realized It was also a very popular one for backpackers back then and the only 2-star hotel in Chengdu that allowed to acommodate foreigners. It changed my impression of foreigners from "Hollywood Movies" whom only stay in fancy resort. I invited her to take part in my mom's birthday. Then she went traveling around Sichuan for quite a while and brought back lots of wonderful pictures. There was one that I still remember is a picture with a pavillion set up in one of the lakes in Jiuzhaigou National Park, as well as those action movie production equipments. Coincidently, she met China's most famous director "Zhang Yi Mou" who was directing the movie called "Hero" which later became one of most profitable movie ever in China's history.

What amazed me actually was not those wonderful pictures, the stories happened on the road to her seems more interesting to me and specially as a westerner who speaks no Chinese at all. It definitely inspired me, and I hoped to have a trip with adventurous experience as she did.

This had been realized when Vicki's friend Mel, a Canadian Juwish guy came to Chengdu, my first trip with backpack came true. First time long journey without guide brought me wonderful experience, I never felt such free, and had enough time to slowly "chew" the beauties and more time to think about the life, and meet interesting people on the road. Mel flew to Thailand afterwards, left me a Lonely Planet "Southwest China" as a little gift, almost 20 days trip changed my life.

Then I wanted to go further. Sichuan province, Shanxi province, Yunnan province, Guangxi province, Guizhou province, Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Qingdao, Wuhan, Hohhot...as the visa for Asian countries was less hassle-free to get, my first trip outside of China was Nepal, and the whole month traveling alone from Tibet to Nepal was so easy and so enjoyable, so it motivated me to travel to more countries. Mongolia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos...

From travels, I gained a lot of experience not only about how to travel, but also about how those people in different countries manage the guesthouses and hostels, as well as what kind of services that we need as a traveler. I put it all into Mix Hostel later.

In the end of 2004, after couple of years life struggling in Shenzhen, and the haze of SARS epidemic completely gone, and a whole year biking-scan over the Chengdu city, I located a property. That was a very rare and sunny day in Chengdu, I was sitting with my Korean friend "Huang" at the riverband opposite to this property.

"What about Mix&Backpacker's Guesthouse? It hints this place is run for backpackers and travelers" I asked Huang.

"Hm...I think it's good!" Huang said.

"Alright! Let's call it 'Mix&Backpacker's Guesthouse'".

1 Year later, we changed the name to "Mix Hostel" because it's easier to remember and hostel has become one of the most popular backpacker's places in China.