our story

One day in early 2007, the founder of naked Retreats, South African Grant Horsfield, signed up for a mountain bike expedition from Shanghai. Grant wasn’t coming for the biking however. He had a hidden agenda. He was looking for an out of the way, secluded, peaceful retreat from the city where he could establish, in a local community, a resort for like-minded souls.

 

 

Grant was lucky in his choice of mountain biking expeditions, because the leader was soon hopelessly lost. The mountain trail he led his party down was a dead end. Below was a precipitous slope covered by bush and bamboo. The mix of foreign and Chinese bikers clambered down it with great difficulty. Once they pulled themselves together at the bottom, the guide had to deal with some very unhappy clients.

Grant Horsfield was, quite to the contrary, delighted. The vertical bike trip had brought him to Shanjiuwu, 395 Village. It was exactly the place he was looking for.  Twelve of the buildings in the village now make up naked Home Village.

 

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