North Chinese city turns scrapped buses into hotel rooms

Dozens of retired buses have been renovated into well-equipped self-contained hotel rooms in a scenic area in Taiyuan, capital of north China's Shanxi Province.

The unique accommodation complex opened at the beginning of this year.

"It is a creative idea -- turning the unwanted into wealth," said Gao Yongping, a Taiyuan tourism department employee.

The buses still retain many of their original features, including windows, steering wheels and wheels. Each bus features a bedroom, a living room, and a bathroom with heating, lighting and water. Each bus features cartoon-themed decoration.

Some rooms also have karaoke machines.

There are about 50 such bus rooms across the scenic spot, Gao said. Some buses were painted with cartoon characters while others were left blank to allow kids to decorate them, according to Gao.

Each bus costs between 200 yuan (30.4 U.S. dollars) and 600 yuan a night. Endi