Brickyard Retreat at Mutianyu

Why it matters: American-Chinese couple Jim Spear and Liang Tang converted a derelict glazed-tile factory in Beigou Village into this 25-room retreat expressly to create jobs for their village neighbors, and roughly 80 percent of the kitchen’s ingredients come from local suppliers. The reclaimed-brick architecture is a quiet lesson in reuse, and rooms look straight up at the Mutianyu Great Wall. Stay the night instead of day-tripping: you get the wall at sunrise and a village breakfast before the tour buses roll in. Book one of the scattered village houses if you’re traveling as a family.