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Interview with Professor Frank Hawke

March 18, 2009 in WildChina Experts by admin | No comments

One of the first 8 Americans who came over to study in China in the late 1970’s, Frank Hawke is a well-known figure in Beijing. Currently, Frank is the Chairman of Greater China for Kroll, the world’s leading risk consulting company, and has also held teaching positions in prestigious universities such as Beijing University and the University of International Business and Economics. Frank has been traveling around China for more than 30 years, and took a moment to tell us about his favorite places in the Middle Kingdom.

Frank Hawke

WildChina: Why did you decide to come to Beijing in the 70’s?

Frank Hawke: I was invited by the Chinese government to pursue studies in China in 1979 and wanted to engage in language work and Chinese politics.

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Interview With Our Expert – Yunnan Culture Expert Zhang Xilu

February 13, 2009 in WildChina Experts by Emma | 2 comments

A leading expert on the ancient Nanzhao Kingdom and a distinguished leader in the intellectual community in Dali, Yunnan Province, Zhang Xilu is an invaluable resource for any traveler interested in Dali culture and the ancient Tea and Horse Caravan Trail. A native of Xizhou, Dali, Mr. Zhang’s numerous published books on historical and contemporary Bai daily life, including one focusing on a school of Buddhism unique to the Bai culture, speak to his passion for learning and sharing knowledge with others. His primary research interests are the history of the Nanzhao Kingdom, which emerged in the 7th century and rebelled against the Chinese Tang Dynasty, and the culture of the modern Bai people.

Zhang Xilu

WildChina: When did you start teaching people about Dali culture and the Tea and Horse Caravan trail?

Zhang Xilu: I started teaching Dali culture and the Tea and Horse Caravan trail some 10 years ago. My first formal teaching of the subject was in 2003, when I began to teach the students at Dali Academy. In 2005, I was invited by Beijing University and Minzhu University to Beijing to give a lecture, last year I visited Guangzhou Sun Yat-sen University to lecture. I first published “The Culture of the Horse Caravan” with Mr. Wang Mingda in 1993, which is quite popular and was just republished last year.

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Interview With Our Expert – Beijing Great Wall Expert William Lindesay

December 8, 2008 in WildChina Experts by Emma | No comments

William Lindesay has lived in China for 14 years during which he has spent “more than 800 days on the Great Wall.” In 1987, he made what China’s Xinhua News Agency described as “the most successful foreign exploration of the Great Wall”, and he recounted his 2,470 km solo adventure in “Alone on the Great Wall” published in the UK, USA and Germany. In 2005, “Walking on the Wall with William Lindesay” was listed as one of the 50 travel experiences of a lifetime by the UK edition of Conde Nast Traveller. As one of the world’s foremost experts on the Great Wall, and a phenomenal Wall guide, WildChina is honored to be able to share William’s insights on one of the world’s wonders.

WildChina: When did you first start taking guests to the Great Wall?

William Lindesay: I guess it was about 10 years ago now. Actually, [we're talking on] Dec 4th, and 21 years ago on this day I reached Shanhaiguan at the end of my journey along the wall on foot. Obviously, I had a story to tell, so I published my first book. China was not the flavor of the moment like it is now, so it was not perceived as exciting for travelers to come here. Towards the end of the ’90s I began spending a lot of time biking near the Wall, and taking lots of photos. My wife was becoming not a golf widow, but a Wall widow, so I wanted to include her in my passion. We bought a little farmhouse near the wall, and one of my friends suggested that we invite guests to stay with us, so we did that. I found that our first visitors welcomed not just the Great Wall story, but my story – the story of conservation, why I liked the Wall, and how I first discovered it.

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Expert Profile: Anne Warr, Shanghai Architect

October 13, 2008 in WildChina Experts by Emma | No comments

Anne Warr

Anne Warr is an architect who has lived in Shanghai since    2003. Anne earned an MA in Heritage Conservation from the  University of York, UK and worked for ten years as Heritage Manager for the NSW Government, and then as Heritage Manager for the City of Sydney. She started a tour guiding business, Walk Shanghai, and is a founding member of ‘Save Shanghai Heritage’, a volunteer group producing walking tour brochures of Shanghai’s twelve Conservation Areas. The first brochure, on the Jewish Ghetto area, was published in 2006. Anne and her partner run the Shanghai office of the Australian architectural firm “AJ+C.”


WildChina: How did you get started giving tours of Shanghai?

Anne Warr: When I first came to Shanghai in 2003 I was given the wonderful task of writing an “Architecture Guide to Shanghai”, by Australian publisher Watermark Press. As I explored the city discovering the many facets of its architecture and history, I became very familiar with the city and its stories. So, it became natural for people to start asking me to give architectural tours. The first tour I gave was for the MOMA Board of Directors in 2005.

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