![]() ![]() Ordinary people are now riding their bicycles and enjoying the view." Today, an "ecological corridor" has been built along the lake, an achievement that Linden marvels at: "I have never seen such a beautiful hiking trail along the lake. They are making the rural areas increasingly attractive to everyone," he said. I'm very proud that the government is willing to take on the pressure, and unfortunately some political backlash, for the benefit of our future generations. "Balancing environmental protection and economic growth is difficult in any situation in any country. ![]() Linden witnessed the Dali government's struggle to improve the environment of Erhai Lake, and was happy to see the achievements made. Tourism also binds locals tightly to their hometowns. "Making the rural areas attractive to everyone" Locals are so confident that their children will have a better life than they will… I have seen every year an improvement," he added. And yet here I am in a small agricultural village in rural Yunnan. Most of Linden's farmer friends now expect their children to attend universities: "Coming from a fairly modest background in America, that is not common in my country. ![]() It's hard not to be seduced by this optimism and hard work," he noted. And their dreams are becoming larger and more ambitious. Linden thinks the outside world does not fully appreciate the efforts China has made in poverty alleviation. The Linden Center's success is based on the government's openness and inclusiveness." What I see is a level of support, and it doesn't matter who you are, whether a Chinese or a foreigner. The government's continued encouragement and support further bolstered his optimism: "I have gone on two important visits for new projects since the Congress. The model I created here demonstrates that areas outside the big cities are also open to business for foreigners." Linden paid close attention to the 20th CPC National Congress: "One aspect I felt was very relevant to what we are doing here in rural Yunnan was China's openness to foreign investment. We're going to be a part of that," he added. Economic growth is slowly reaching us as well. ![]() "This allows everyone to have a quality of life that is increasingly similar," he said.įor him and his local villagers, "there is a belief that the excitement in Shanghai and Beijing is also happening here. Since China's poverty alleviation, even the deepest rural areas in the mountains of Dali can be accessed by newly constructed roads. The hospital in the city also has the same equipment he uses back in America. Over the last 18 years, Linden has witnessed unprecedented infrastructure development in Dali and throughout China, especially in the fields of transportation and medical care.īack in 1985, it took him almost 12 hours to travel from Kunming, the capital of Yunnan, to Dali, but now thanks to high-speed rail, he can get to Kunming in two hours, have a dentist appointment, and come back to Xizhou the same day. Linden later established several other boutique lodgings, all serving as bridges for intercultural and international exchanges.īrian Linden walks up the stairs of Linden Center in Dali, southwest China's Yunnan Province. That's how the man with long blonde hair settled in Xizhou – a short drive from Dali - where he restored a national heritage site and turned it into the Linden Center, a hotel and education hub. And outside of China's big cities, the wisdom also resides in vast rural areas. Linden believes that alongside 40 years of China's economic miracle, the wisdom China has accumulated over the past 5,000 years is what we need to share with the outside world. After working in and traveling to over 100 countries, he returned to China with his wife and two sons in 2003 to "find a place, and create a new lifestyle… China has always been in my heart, and it is just like my home". Having lived among rural people in Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture of South China's Yunnan Province for decades, he now considers himself one of the "cool new Dali people."īorn and raised in Chicago, Linden first visited China in 1984. ( People's Daily Online) 15:31, April 12, 2023Ħ0-year-old American Brian Linden wears many hats: traveler, entrepreneur, educator, author, and founder of the Linden Centre. ![]()
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