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Gabreila Lo is the woman behind the popular "naked retreats" boutique hotel in Moganshan. Already a favorite of Shanghai residents looking to recoil into nature for the weekend, naked retreats are hosting an outdoor concert called "" in commemoration of Earth Hour on March 28.

This is from the write-up:

"Taking place on the banks of the 395 reservoir, the music will carry out over the water, echoing into the bamboo forests. Scheduled to reach its crescendo at the mark of Earth Hour, featured performers are flamenco guitarist Abraham Carmona, folk artist Wu Zhuoling, and drum group Jammala."

Sounds like a wonderful, warm, and inviting alternative to the usual Shanghai weekend booze fest. Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê×ÊÁÏÍø caught up with Gabriella to talk about naked retreats, Moganshan living, Earth Hour, and naked by candlelight.

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Gabriela: naked retreats is a boutique eco-retreat nestled in the pristine bamboo forest of Moganshan, in Zhejiang province. Traditional farmhouses have been restored into rustic chic bungalows with all the modern amenities. We're a unique destination that offers our guests an array of activities combined with highly personalized services.

For me, naked retreats is simply a great escape to get away from the city, to refresh and reconnect with nature where the concept of time is irrelevant.


Gabriela: The 395 village where naked is situated amongst the bamboo forest of Moganshan is one of the older village communities in the area, with houses that are over 100 years old. All of our houses are old farm houses that have been renovated. The youngest resident in our village is over 60 years old, and our villagers are mainly bamboo or tea farmers. There are only 16 remaining, though, as most of the next generation have moved to bigger cities to find office work.

There are also bomb shelters around our houses which were used during the second world war...

[Ed's note: For more on the history of the area and Moganshan, check out .]


Gabriela: Mainly nature lovers -- expats from Shanghai, families, groups of young professionals looking for an alternative to getaway for a weekend, as well as corporate groups looking for something different.

We'll also be holding a wedding in July this year.


Gabriela: Obviously a lot of people come out for the fresh area and just to get away from the busy city. We have maps in our houses so our guests can go on walks around the tea fields and bamboo. We also offer the following activities, for corporate events we can organize other tailor-made activities: Bass Fishing, Mountain Hiking, Mountain Biking, Tennis, Hiking picnic trips, Tea Picking and roasting (seasonal). Bamboo Shoot Hunting (seasonal), Swimming, Yoga...




Gabriela: For the concert, there'll be a BBQ and bar from 5pm when doors open so the audience can have a picnic and enjoy the fresh air and scenery at sundown. A glass of champagne is included and will be served on arrival to set the tone of the evening.

We then have three different artists as listed below, performing from 6:30pm to 9pm. At 8:30pm, the drum group Jammala will kick off the Earth Hour with an unplugged set. After the official concert, we'll have continuous music for those who'd like to stick around to sit by our fire pit and star gaze to a bottle of wine.

Performances are by Abraham Carmona, a Spanish-born gypsy guitarist and singer. He's well-known in Shanghai, playing all over town in places like the JZ Club. He plays eclectic music, from rumba and latin to Arabic-influenced music.

Wu Zhuoling is a Chinese folk artist, who supported Jose Gonzalez on his Shanghai tour. She has a pure melodic voice that's fitting for the natural surroundings of the area. She's from Chengdu.

Jammala is a Shanghai-based Japanese drum group that plays around Shanghai (Mural and The Shelter, among other places), and they're performing an unplugged set to coincide with Earth Hour.


Gabriela: As an eco-retreat, we try whenever we can to create awareness on ecological and conservationist issues amongst our guests and neighboring communities. We organize community events like the "Big Litter Pick", where we have schools, families, companies, and individuals come to stay at naked retreats over the period of a week, and we organize litter picking activities, as well as talks on environmental awareness.

All proceeds from this and similar events go to an initiative we started in co-operation with Greeennovate, an environmental consulting company who has a program called GEKCO teaching kids in China environmental awareness.

[Ed's note: For more info on that have a look at this link from Greennovate's site.]



So we had heard about "Earth Hour", which is an event organized by the WWF to create awareness for energy saving by switching off your lights at 8:30pm on March 28. I believe it started last year in Sydney where everyone in the city switched their lights off for an hour.

We thought it was a really good and successful initiative, and wanted to be a part of it. As we've been thinking about organizing a concert at naked anyway, we thought it'd be a great idea to combine the two.

So all proceeds will go partly to Earth Hour and partly to fund the GECKO program with Greennvate to educate kids in Moganshan on environmental issues.


Gabriela: Absolutely. After over a year of operation we realized that we have such a great destination, it'll be a waste not to utilize the atmosphere and space we are in to provide more alternatives for city dwellers who are running out of things to do in Shanghai!

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is March 28 at the naked retreats in Moganshan. Information regarding the logistics of getting there and booking accommodation can be found at the event listing .

Tickets for the concert can be purchased .

Bodhi Bikes are also arranging a trip to Moganshan for the naked by candlelight concert. Have a look at that .

For more information on naked retreats, head over to their webpage , and you can also read an older Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê×ÊÁÏÍø review of the place .