British woman hosted a Chinese woman, but it ended in espionage

Former Country Life editor Melanie Cable-Alexander rented a room to a wealthy Chinese woman who moved in just before the pandemic and stayed for nearly a year. During lockdown, the guest actively photographed the surroundings, but it later emerged that her lens captured strategic infrastructure sites, including a police headquarters and a naval base. A security contact suggested the woman was likely working undercover.

Former Country Life travel editor Melanie Cable-Alexander and her husband Martin turned their home in the provincial town of Castle Cary into a bed-and-breakfast. The most intriguing episode in years of hospitality involved a mysterious guest from China. The wealthy woman moved in shortly before the coronavirus pandemic began, explaining her visit as a search for an elite school for her young daughter. Speaking no English, she generously paid one hundred pounds per night, and when strict lockdown was imposed, she stayed for nearly a full year. During the lockdown, the hosts charged her only for utilities and groceries. The foreigner was extremely curious, constantly traveling around the area with a camera. As it later turned out, her lens captured not only local landmarks but also strategic infrastructure: the regional police headquarters, a railway station, and a secret naval airbase. After a sudden quarrel with the hosts, the guest hastily moved out. Sharing the story with a friend connected to state security, the British woman heard the suggestion that the Chinese woman was "almost certainly" working undercover. The article also describes other curious incidents from the hospitality business, including a visit from supermodel Twiggy, who registered under her husband's surname and went unrecognized.