That's exactly what one couple from France did. Virginien Tiellet and his girlfriend made their first trip to Shanghai, after finding Tzou through the Couch Surfing network.

"When we arrived, he had a party, and we met other people and went to a restaurant," says 28-year-old couch surfer Tiellet. "And, he spoke about Chinese culture and Shanghai history. He told us many stories about China."

"It was good because we met other people from China, too," says Tiellet. "It was an experience with culture. It was enriching."

"It's really the meeting of different worlds," says Tzou. "That's probably the most reaching part."

Still, the cultural reach of Couch Surfing and organizations efforts alike should not be overestimated, according to research analyst Yiyi Lu.

"I think it's welcome, and I think it helps," says Lu, of the China Policy Institute at the University of Nottingham. "But, I really don't want to exaggerate the facts."

"Cultural understanding is not just a matter of getting more information," says Lu. "It has to be systematic, and this isn't very systematic because you're just staying with one family."

"There's also value and attitudes involved - and those don't necessarily change just because you get more information," says Lu. "In China, for example, people eat dog meat - and the dog is a pet in the Western world. So, you can put two people together and let them talk, but that doesn't necessarily change their views. That person can still be absolutely appalled they eat dog meat.

"But, it is a step in the right direction because it allows more access to local people."

Couch Surfing was formed in 2003 and made its global debut online in 2004. There are currently about 500,000 Couch Surfers around the world - and roughly 5,380 online members in China. Beijing has about 853 members and Shanghai has about 770 members. The top three places Couch Surfers visit are the United States, France and Germany. China ranks 19th.

Donations that Tzou has big plans for are to help poor families in rural China. He hopes to makes the Water Buffalo Project a reality for one family in Hubei this summer.

Tzou has arranged for Belgian hosts to collect donations of 1 EURO ($1.58) per night from their couch surfers to raise funds.

"That money comes to me, and I buy a buffalo," says Tzou. So far, enough money has been raised to make a purchase. But, Tzou needs more time to decide on the family. He says he has one in mind, but he wants to be sure the buffalo goes to a deserving family.

Tzou says a buffalo can do a lot for a poor family. The dung of the animal can be used as fertilizer for harvesting, and the buffalo can be sold or its meat eaten at the end of the year.

"The question is, whether that family will react," says Tzou. "It's up to them to make the most of it."

The plan is to continue the project in the future if it works.

"The idea is we start with this," says Tzou. "Through this, we can achieve a micro-financed project to help local individual families - one family at a time," says Tzou. "I hope it will catalyze a movement doing one couch at a time. There's huge potential."

(China Daily April 21, 2008)