Hoteliers tap into astronomic interest

"In fact, we already have four loft rooms themed around stargazing, where people can see the night sky through a glass ceiling," Yang said. "However, they are always booked when the demand is high. So, we added the well-equipped tents to meet the needs of guests.

"Also, the rate of the loft room is around 3,500 yuan ($489) per night on weekends and during holidays, it is a bit high," he said.

The average price of each tent per night ranges from 600 yuan to 800 yuan.

Despite being called tents, they are similar to hotel rooms, replete with insulating layers, thick rugs, a sofa, a queen-sized bed, clothes hangers and lamps.

Since the tents are near the Jinhai Lake, people can enjoy both the view of the lake and stars at the same time.

"Sometimes, we receive guests carrying professional telescopes and cameras. Such guests make up around one fifth of our clientele. Most of the time, people enjoy the night sky with the naked eye," Yang added.

"The air quality is perfect in Pinggu, since it's far from the urban downtown. People can see starry skies most nights."

"Business is pretty good," Yang said. "I discovered the other day that several other hotels have also adopted an astronomy theme this year."

Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism published a list of stargazing tourism destinations and homestays, covering villages in many suburban districts including Huairou, Yanqing, Fangshan and Shunyi.

Yang expects that the stargazing business will be long-lasting, saying that "with the burdens and stresses of daily life, people always have a desire to look up at the beauty of the night sky".