Three Americans Telling the "China Story"

 "Mr. Egg" is willing to be a cultural bridge between China and the United States

Brian Linden, an American who lives in Yunnan and the founder of the "Xilinyuan" hotel brand, recently traveled to Laos with his wife. He told the "Global Times" reporter that in the past, it took up to 8 hours to travel from Vientiane, the capital of Laos, to Luang Prabang, the ancient city of the millennium. It can be reached in less than two hours. "This train is inspiring a group of young entrepreneurs to look beyond Vientiane and look for business opportunities along the route."

Linden came to China for the first time to study in 1984 from Chicago in the United States. He was deeply impressed by China's long-standing culture and customs, and also allowed him to meet his wife. In 2004, Linden and his family sold their American assets and returned to China. A few years later, they settled in Xizhou Ancient Town, Dali City, Yunnan Province, and renovated an old house in the town into the "Xilin Garden" integrating a boutique hotel and a cultural center, attracting many foreign tourists. Over the past ten years, Linden and his wife have witnessed the earth-shaking changes in Dali and the government's strong support for entrepreneurs. He hopes to promote cultural exchanges between China and the United States through the platform of "Xilin Garden" and eliminate communication barriers between China and the Western world.

Linden said that in the past 40 years, Americans' views on China have changed, from tolerance, silence to fear. When talking about the experience in Laos, Linden was quite emotional. He said that while enjoying the convenience brought by the China-Laos Railway, some western tourists worry about China's influence in Southeast Asia, which is very ironic. "China builds infrastructure for these countries and helps them develop their economies. The 'Belt and Road' has injected hope into neighboring countries. I believe that if China does not do this, no other country will lend a helping hand and be so generous and selfless. things." Linden believes that China's voice on the world stage is constantly increasing, which is a fact that the United States and the West cannot accept. "Both China and the United States should focus on common ground and not let the situation go to extremes."

In Linden's view, compared with the United States, China has a certain "soft power deficit". American soft power such as Starbucks and Apple mobile phones are ubiquitous, but foreigners know very little about China. They can only learn about it from some Western media reports with limited narrative and biased views. Therefore, China must continue to develop its soft power and let the world see China's traditional wisdom and charm. "China can offset prejudice with the positive results of its own development."

Linden said that although there may sometimes be disputes or conflicts between the Chinese and American governments, this does not mean that he cannot share the charm of China with American friends, nor can he block the friendly non-governmental exchanges between China and the United States. My goal is to do my best to become a bridge for cultural exchanges between China and the United States.” In China, Linden has received a lot of support, and he hopes that people in the United States and other countries will also welcome people like him who share different stories.

Linden found that after foreign guests came to China, the most common reaction was "we never knew China was like this". He told the "Global Times" reporter that China's greatest soft power resource is its people, "We want to create more opportunities for Chinese people to truly interact with the world." After the TV series "To a Windy Place" was broadcast, the number of tourists to Yunnan and "Xilinyuan" increased sharply. With the liberalization of policies, Lin Deng is confident that the business will get better and better.

Linden's Chinese version of his new book "Looking for China: Linden's Story" was recently published. He said that many Americans support him in writing stories about China. Lin Deng has been in China for 38 years and is called "Mr. Egg" (white on the outside and yellow on the inside) by his relatives and friends. He hopes that he can have some influence on American friends, and believes that his duty is to promote continuous interaction and exchanges between the people of China and the United States. "I'm sharing real stories from China that are as effective and important as government-to-government communication. I will use our hotel projects as a platform to share these stories broadly through guest experience and media engagement."

Linden's new book will also be published in English in the future, and he hopes that the English version can give a more in-depth introduction to the astonishing changes in China's economy and society. "China has made me who I am today, and I would like to spend the rest of my life expressing this gratitude."

"Old Paoer of Beijing" takes root from Hollywood to China

In this year's Spring Festival Chinese sci-fi blockbuster "The Wandering Earth 2", Andy impressed many Chinese audiences by playing the US representative "Mike". In fact, he has attracted attention for speaking fluent and pure Beijing dialect in the movie "Hidden Man" directed by Jiang Wen.

Andy's friends all regard him as an authentic "Beijing veteran", and he also evaluates himself as "the appearance of a white man, the soul of an old Beijinger". Andy's mother is Italian. She studied sinology, studied Chinese and Asian literature and art history, and was invited to work in China in 1964, translating the works of Lao She, Lu Xun and others. Andy's father was engaged in cultural and educational work in the United States. After arriving in China in 1960, he worked for Xinhua News Agency and China Radio International. Andy was born in Beijing in 1966. Under the influence of his parents, he was exposed to traditional Chinese culture and received orthodox Chinese education since he was a child. Andy was admitted to the Chinese Painting Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts when he was in college, and became one of the only five freshmen recruited in the country at that time. During his time at school, he received a lot of inspiration from Chinese painting masters Huang Yongyu, Li Kuchan, Li Keran, Xu Linlu, Han Meilin and others.

Andy's first foray into the film industry was in Guangzhou. After he learned that a Hollywood movie was filmed in Guangzhou, he successfully joined the film crew as an interpreter by virtue of his language advantages. Since then, his love for movies has been unstoppable. As his parents passed away due to illness, 23-year-old Andy left Beijing temporarily to make a living in Hollywood. With excellent multilingual ability and film production experience, Andy participated in the art and special effects production of many Hollywood blockbusters such as "Bourne" and "Batman".

After being away for more than ten years, Andy often thinks about his life in Beijing. In 2003, he brought Hollywood film production experience and special effects technology back to China, and became the first foreign director approved by the State Film Bureau to write and direct TV programs in China. Andy has over 25 years of film set experience and is one of the top bilingual filmmakers in China for co-productions and commercials. Combining on-site shooting experience and creative artistic skills, he has become a popular visual effects producer in domestic films.

As a senior filmmaker, he has witnessed the rapid development of Chinese society and Chinese film industry. Andy said, "The difference between Chinese movies and American movies is that most of the movies made in the United States are about superheroes, and they are more about individualism. But Chinese movies are more about collectivism, and what is expounded is' The concept of a community with a shared future for mankind. But both also have one thing in common, that is, filmmakers need to work hard to do original stories."

Andy told the "Global Times" reporter that he has cooperated with many outstanding filmmakers at home and abroad, and served as a visual effects producer for Chinese director Li Shaohong's version of "Dream of Red Mansions". That experience was unforgettable for him. During the filming process, he often had to discuss the details of literature with red scholars, which benefited him a lot.

Facing today's tense Sino-US relations, Andy said that many Americans like China and Chinese culture. "I hope China and the US can return to a state of true cooperation and mutual respect. Sometimes politics just push people to extremes, and it would be great if these two great powers could work side by side to face the crises facing humanity together! "

Now that Andy is 56 years old, what he remembers most and loves the most is still the cultural atmosphere of old Beijing, which he feels makes him feel at home. "When I was in the United States, I felt like I was just an immigrant. I think my roots are in Beijing." In the future, Andy plans to deepen his cultivation in animation and animation projects, and hopes to stay in Beijing after retirement and continue to contribute to the cultural development of the Chinese capital. make a contribution.

"Hot Pot King" exposes lies that hurt China

"Hot Pot King" Nathan Rich is known to Chinese netizens. He first started in early 2019 when he produced a video to counter the US media's smearing of China. In the video, he clearly and logically refuted the report of the New York Times maliciously attacking the Chinese medical system, and also shared the details of his medical treatment in China, which is convincing and convincing. Afterwards, the "Hot Pot King" produced a series of videos that powerfully responded to the Western media's viciousness against China, leaving many lies about China nowhere to hide.

"Hot Pot King" told the "Global Times" reporter that his first visit to China was a business trip in 2012. When he first arrived, he was surprised that he didn't see any China in his imagination. "Is it my problem, or is there something wrong with the information I got about China?" Afterwards, the "Hot Pot King" traveled to many Chinese cities while learning about Chinese history. With a deeper understanding of China, he gradually got rid of some Westerners' stereotypes about China, and he also understood the Chinese way of thinking and principles of doing things, and saw the beauty of Chinese culture. In the end, the "Hot Pot King" turned to video production, explaining Western prejudices against China to netizens around the world.

The "Hot Pot King" who has lived in China for many years is now also a Chinese son-in-law. In order to understand Chinese, he will ask the Chinese people around him again and again for the meaning of every word and character, and memorize them by heart. "I can understand most Chinese conversations," he told the Global Times reporter.

The "Hot Pot King" feels that the non-governmental exchanges between China and the United States are "very backward". In addition to the language barrier, what is more important is that the communication environment is fragmented and there is a huge cultural gap. Americans usually have a severe lack of understanding of Chinese history and culture. Today, the relationship between China and the United States is on thin ice. As an American, the "Hot Pot King" believes that the mentality of the United States always trying to put China in a confrontational position has caused this situation. The new crown epidemic and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine have all been used by some Americans to hype up the "China threat theory" to achieve their political goals.

"Hot Pot King" has more than 4 million fans on the Internet, and many people regard him as a bridge between Chinese and American folks. But he believes that bridges of communication have always existed. "Hot Pot King" says Americans like him need to introduce their fellow countrymen to the real China. "What I support is logic and rationality, and I support fair treatment of China, not the simple pro-China they say."

"I think China can be more active in exchanges on the international stage." When talking about suggestions for future Sino-US non-governmental exchanges, "Hot Pot King" said, first of all, Chinese people should better understand Americans' attitude towards China. misunderstood reality. Second, Americans can listen more and avoid clichés and stereotypes. "Americans really need to readjust their attitude towards China and think independently based on facts, rather than simply browsing news headlines and tweets."