Links & Resources
This list of resources forms a network of parties dedicated to the responsible development of China, the preservation of cultural heritage and the facilitation of cultural exchange at a grassroots level. WildChina works together with these groups to share ideas on sustainable travel and voice opinions on how best to preserve China’s natural beauty. We share these links to inform you on what is happening at the grassroots level in China, in the hope that it will inform your trip here.
Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center
Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center is a non-governmental organization that focuses on giving government officials and the community the resources to protect China’s unique heritage, both physical and symbolic. Founded by former WildChina CEO Jim Stent, the CHP’s main focus is grassroots heritage, which often receives less funding and attention than national preservation projects funded by UNESCO, the government, or other major donor agencies.
Chi Heng Foundation
The mission of Hong Kong-based Chi Heng Foundation is to provide educational and social support to HIV/AIDS patients in central Henan province. The Foundation provides scholarships for children who lost parents to AIDS and organizes programs to foster psychological healing. The Foundation offers vocational training to young adults who cannot continue their education. WildChina is a Foundation event sponsor.
Dropenling Handicraft Development Center
This organization jointly fights poverty in Tibet and preserves Buddhist cultural and heritage. The Dropenling Center teaches local artisans how to make their products competitive and provides these artisans an outlet to sell their goods. The Center also promotes regional entrepreneurship. All profits are funneled back into the Tibetan artisan community.
Kham Aid Foundation
Established in 1997 to help the Tibetan Kham people of western Sichuan’s Ganzi Prefecture, the Kham Aid Foundation offers programs in education, health, cultural heritage preservation, economic development, and the environment. Projects have included training for teachers and midwives, microfinance loans, primary and secondary school scholarships, re-forestation initiatives, and donations of medical supplies to local clinics and hospitals.
Onemoon Art Gallery
Located in the Temple of Earth in Beijing, this art gallery spotlights contemporary Chinese art. The Ming-era building that houses the gallery is protected by the Cultural Relics Bureau. The gallery provides an authentic atmosphere for local artists to exhibit new portraits of China. The gallery showcases new work every two months. At the gallery, it is not unusual to meet local artists working on a new project or meet the owner Jan Leaming.
Rob Gifford
Rob Gifford first went to China in 1987. He has spent much of the last twenty years studying and reporting on issues in the country. From 1999 to 2005, he served as National Public Radio's China correspondent; he travelled through Asia reporting for Morning Edition and All Things Considered. He is the author of China Road, a dramatic story of his journey along 3,000 miles of Chinese highway from Shanghai to Kazakhstan.
The Schoolhouse at Mutianyu Great Wall
www.theschoolhouseatmutianyu.com
The Schoolhouse at Mutianyu Great Wall is a sustainable tourism project based in an abandoned elementary school in Mutianyu Village, bordering the Great Wall. The Schoolhouse promotes local initiatives: it operates in existing Mutianyu village buildings, hires local staff, serves local food products, showcases local artwork, and makes handicrafts onsite, all in a natural park setting with impressive views of the Great Wall. The Schoolhouse also hosts community events.
The Village China Project
The Village China Project was conceived by the curator and project team of the Yin Yu Tang house at the Peabody Essex Museum. This project is a non-profit enterprise dedicated to increasing awareness of Chinese rural architecture and culture. This team brought a 200 year old home from the village of Huang Cun to Salem, Massachusetts. Now, the Village China Project in Huang Cun continues to preserve the cultural traditions of the Huizhou region of Anhui province.
WWF
WWF is one of the world's largest international conservation groups. The fund runs numerous wildlife and wilderness protection projects in China. WildChina regularly visits WWF project sites in Sichuan province. WildChina is also working jointly with WWF staff to introduce sustainable tourism practices to local populations in Sichuan.
Yunnan Mountain Heritage Foundation
The Yunnan Mountain Heritage Foundation is a non-profit organization founded to protect and promote cultural heritage, handicrafts and eco-tourism in Shangri-La, Yunnan. The Foundation works with the people of Shangri-La, home to over 20 different ethnic minority groups, to prepare them for the changes associated with tourism and economic development.
WildChina Awards
