Chinanews.com, Beijing, January 1 (Reporter Ren Siyu) "Within less than one mile, there is Erhai Lake. Within five or six miles, there are high mountains. There is such a town between mountains and rivers, it is really a paradise!" This is Lao She The beautiful scenery of Xizhou in Dali, Yunnan.

If you come to visit the ancient town of Xizhou by the Erhai Lake, surrounded by rice fields, you may notice a beautiful check-in place - Xilin Garden.

  In 2004, American Brian Linden (Brian Linden) sold his house and came to Xizhou with his wife and children. They meticulously renovated the house of Yang Pinxiang, a wealthy businessman in Xizhou during the Republic of China, and turned it into a boutique hotel and cultural center. One Xilin Garden.

  Over the years, Lin Deng has been committed to protecting and promoting traditional Chinese culture and promoting cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries. He has also changed from a "foreigner" in the villagers' mouths to "Mr. Lin". How does a native American turn this place into a Family?

Linden and the villagers.

Source: Photo courtesy of the publishing house

"Think about China"

  On the other end of the phone, whenever Linden told a story about China, he would habitually add the word "we" in front of it.

For him who has lived here for a long time, this fate started from a dialogue with an old professor in the 1980s.

  Linden was born in Chicago, USA. When he was young, due to family constraints, he worked part-time while studying at night school. One day, he went to an old professor's house to clean the carpet. The professor who had just returned from China asked him to help mark the location of China on the map. But he looked blankly at the Asian continent: he didn't know where it was.

  The professor gave him a cup of Chinese green tea, told him a story about his travels in China, and encouraged him to try to explore abroad, "You should look overseas...you may even consider China." Afterwards, Linden saw on campus A poster of China's funding for studying abroad. After submitting the application form nervously, he actually received a call from the embassy.

  In August 1984, 22-year-old Lin Deng took a train from Europe to many places, finally arrived in Beijing, and entered Beijing Language and Culture University.

Lyndon in the movie "He Came From Across the Ocean".

Source: Photo courtesy of the publishing house

  Compared with the confused life before, Linden spent a rather fulfilling time in China.

The day after he arrived at the school, he was selected to star in the movie "He Came From the Other Side of the Ocean", and later, he became a Beijing-based photojournalist for CBS News.

During his studies, Linden also took a train to travel around half of China. That thrilling and fruitful trip made him fall in love with China's distinct national culture and unique traditional architecture.

  While studying as a graduate student at the Nanjing University-Johns Hopkins Center for Sino-American Culture Studies, Linden also met the love of his life—Chinese-American Jinni.

  "China gave me the confidence to pursue a life that I couldn't achieve when I was young. I am more and more identified with this country, its culture, and its people." Linden said.

Linden and Jinni are in Yan'an.

Source: Photo provided by the publishing house.

“What attracts us most here are the people”

  After that, Linden went to Stanford University to study for a Ph.D. in Historical Economics. He and his wife, Jenny, traveled to hundreds of countries around the world, and continued to pay attention to Chinese culture while working.

  In 2004, the two made a crazy decision: sell their house in the United States and return to China to settle with their children.

"I have done educational projects in many countries, and I found that they don't fully understand China. China is the master in my life, so I think we should create such a platform to pass on to the world some of the experiences and experiences we have experienced. past Chinese wisdom."

  In the next two years, they visited many ancient towns and villages in China, and finally stopped in the ancient town of Xizhou between Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake in Dali, Yunnan.

Yang Pinxiang's House, a folk residence of the Bai nationality.

Source: Photo courtesy of the publishing house

  Xizhou Ancient Town is a thousand-year-old Bai nationality ancient town, where a large number of Bai nationality courtyards from the Ming and Qing Dynasties and the Republic of China are preserved. In front of a golden rice field, Lin Deng and his wife found a typical building of the Bai nationality with "three squares and one screen wall" - Yang Pinxiang House, Linden was deeply attracted by this old house and hoped to turn it into a base for realizing his ideal.

  At that time, Lin Deng was the first foreigner who proposed to rent a house. With local support and help, Lin Deng spent about 18 months, together with nearly a hundred craftsmen in Xizhou, renovating this old house. "Repair the old as the old", build Xilinyuan, which integrates boutique hotels and educational and cultural exchange camps.

Xilin Garden under restoration.

Source: Photo courtesy of the publishing house

  In order to protect the house to the greatest extent, Linden and the craftsmen had a difficult and costly repair process, but Linden felt that his "main purpose is to protect it and restore its vitality, so that people in Xizhou will feel respectful to themselves. cultural pride and attract tourists from all over the world.”

  "In fact, what Dali attracts us most is the people, the people who help us realize our dreams, such as the tolerance of the local people, and the strong support from the government." Lin Deng said that many people are fascinated by the scenery of Dali, but he thinks, The most important thing is its culture and the attractiveness of its social and historical resources. "It's not 'love at first sight', it's a process. When I get in touch with local people, I gradually realize some of its most precious resources."

  To build a cultural center that truly becomes a carrier of culture and knowledge exchange will allow Chinese and foreign tourists to transcend the homogeneous urban tourism experience and immerse themselves in the rich and diverse traditional Chinese culture. This is the wish of the Linden family when they first arrived in China.

After more than ten years of hard work, Xilin Garden has attracted countless tourists to Xizhou, and has become a post station for Chinese and foreign cultural exchanges through many cultural activities.

  Whenever foreign friends come, Lin Deng will take them to the morning market in the ancient town, listen to the ancient music of Dongjing, experience tea picking, tie-dyeing, make local delicacies, participate in festival celebrations, and even go to the three-dollar barber shop for a haircut. The local restaurant communicated with the villagers, allowing everyone to experience Dali culture more deeply and intuitively, and feel the fireworks and human relations in the town.

  "I hope everyone will realize some of our social and cultural resources in China. For many foreigners, I don't need to take him to see a fake, packaged thing. Just experiencing the pure Chinese culture is also very beneficial to them. Attractiveness, and I think this is part of China's soft power." Linden said.

Xilin Court after renovation.

Source: Photo courtesy of the publishing house

plant a seed

  During these years of living in China, Lin Deng has witnessed the rapid changes in cities and villages, and has become a participant in many changes. He has gathered what he has seen and heard in these years into a book "Looking for China: Lin Deng's Story", "This It is a love letter to the Chinese culture that shocks and inspires us every day."

  He still remembers that when he first arrived in China, people used to call him "Laowai", but at that time he didn't understand what "Laowai" meant, thinking that people were saying that he looked older, like an old man.

  In the past ten years, he has become used to the local villagers affectionately calling him "Mr. Lin". Everyone has noticed his efforts in protecting ancient buildings and promoting traditional culture.

Today, he still devotes half an hour to an hour every day to review Chinese characters, and new books are also published in Chinese first.

"Looking for China: Linden's Story" cover.

Source: Photo courtesy of the publishing house

  "Thirty-five years ago, I could not recognize China on the world map. Now, my identity is inseparable from this country. I can foresee that my soul will always walk on the small roads of Xizhou. This is now mine Home, the home of my soul."

  In the past few years, Lin Deng still thinks about how to develop more cultural tourism activities, better integrate Xizhou culture into it, and how to benefit more villagers. "We actually spend a lot of energy in the village. Hope it can inspire some friends around us."

  In addition to cultural tourism, Xilinyuan also carries out international education projects, cooperates with Sidwell High School, Middlebury College and other schools in the United States, invites many foreign students to study in Xizhou, and integrates local cultural and historical resources into teaching materials .

  "Many children will cry when they leave Xizhou. If the experience of Xizhou makes them have feelings for China and understand China through such a very real cultural collision, I think it will last for decades or even A lifetime of influence."

  Back then, China's tolerance and warmth planted a seed in Lin Deng's heart. Now, he is spreading the seeds through Xilinyuan, hoping to let more people know a real and charming China.

Sunrise near Xilin Garden.

Source: Photo courtesy of the publishing house

  "Having friends come from afar", Linden often mentioned this old saying. This summer, before his 60th birthday, he wrote down his feelings titled "It's a joy to have friends come from afar"——

  "For the past thirty-eight years, I have been a beneficiary of Chinese tradition. In 1984, China gave me the confidence to become a better person; in 2004, my family and I realized our dream of returning to China. In In the nearly 40 years of friendship with this country, the warmth and enthusiasm of the Chinese people have allowed me to live a happy life far beyond my imagination." (End)