www射-国产免费一级-欧美福利-亚洲成人福利-成人一区在线观看-亚州成人

Make me your Homepage
left corner left corner
China Daily Website

American hotelier chases small town Chinese dream

Updated: 2017-11-07 17:29
(Xinhua)

KUNMING - In Xizhou, a small town in Southwest China's Yunnan province, workers use chopsticks to move curds making rushan, a kind of cheese, while visitors look on.

The Linden Center is run by Brian Linden, an American. Visitors from China and abroad can get to know the Bai people, who make up the majority of the local populace.

"Even though I am a foreigner, I have always dreamed of finding a way to learn, share and discover Chinese culture," Linden said. "The Linden Center allows me to do just that."

The center helps preserve local traditions such as the Torch Festival and the Rice Transplanting Festival.

Linden's journey in China started in 1984 when he was a carpet cleaner in the United States before a friend invited him to China, where he played several roles in films, worked as a photographer, and traveled widely.

He returned to the United States and, in 2004, sold his house, and brought his wife and two sons back to China to embark on a two-year odyssey across the country.

"My sons needed to study, so hotels and trains became classrooms," Linden said.

When train tickets were hard to come by, they bought standing-room-only tickets, he said.

"We just wanted to show the kids how important it is to chase dreams and how their parents can make their dreams come true."

From the northwest to the far south, the Linden family voted whether to stay in any given place or move on and eventually settled in Xizhou. The town is close to Erhai Lake and Cang Mountain, making it a "land of idyllic beauty," as Chinese writer Lao She put it in his book about Yunnan.

What captured Linden's attention in Xizhou was the Yang family compound, a building with the distinctive features of Bai architecture. It was built in 1948 and put under nationally protection in 2001. Linden wanted to turn the compound into a boutique hotel and after four years of negotiations with the local government, he was given permission.

Instead of using a professional architect, the Lindens decided to renovate the building themselves.

"Just the cost of fire safety measures and rewiring exceeded one million yuan ($151,000)," Linden said.

During the renovation, he spent half his time at the construction site, and the other half in the village, talking to people, making friends and explaining what he was doing.

"If the Linden Center really wants to be part of Xizhou, the support of local people is very important," he said.

About 100 people were involved in the renovation and the center now employs about 50.

"We could keep the ball rolling with just half of them actually, but I want to help local employment," he said.

In 2008, after almost nine months of work, the Linden Center opened with the structure of the original compound and delicate wood carvings intact.

From the very beginning, the center was more of a place of cultural exchange than just a hotel. When it opened, Linden invited dozens of foreign painters to work there.

Years later, the center has evolved into five big courtyards, and 16 guests rooms. Besides accommodation and catering, visitors can take part in all kinds of cultural activities, textile dyeing and cookery lessons.

One of the courtyards has become a place of education, receiving student groups from around the world. He has set up connections with Yale, Stanford and China's Fudan University.

"In the Linden Center, I have found my way to learn, share and explore Chinese culture," Linden said.

8.03K
 
...
Hot Topics
Geng Jiasheng, 54, a national master technician in the manufacturing industry, is busy working on improvements for a new removable environmental protection toilet, a project he has been devoted to since last year.
...
...
主站蜘蛛池模板: 精品三级网站 | 国产一级毛片一区二区三区 | 亚洲网在线观看 | 三级免费毛片 | 欧美日韩一区二区三区免费不卡 | 成人的天堂| 欧美一区二区三区不卡免费观看 | 欧美一级免费片 | 成人区精品一区二区毛片不卡 | 久久久国产成人精品 | 久草在线免费播放 | 亚洲精品久久九九热 | 男女男精品视频网站 | 国产福利一区二区三区 | 日韩欧美在线播放视频 | 欧美一级乱理片免费观看 | 亚洲成人在线视频播放 | 91伊人久久| 嫩草影院成人 | 亚洲成a v人片在线观看 | 精品动漫一区二区 | 久久久国产精品视频 | 免费的一级片网站 | 国产成人亚洲日本精品 | 国产精品亚洲综合天堂夜夜 | 中国一级大黄大片 | 欧美片欧美日韩国产综合片 | 国产精品久久久久久亚洲伦理 | 中文字幕人成不卡一区 | 国产小视频在线高清播放 | 宫女淫春 | 国产五区| 亚洲在线看 | 成人a大片高清在线观看 | 一 级做人爱全视频在线看 一本不卡 | 日韩在线视频不卡一区二区三区 | 免费a黄色 | 国产日韩欧美视频在线 | 成人精品在线观看 | 国产精品大全国产精品 | 亚洲在线小视频 |