①Sixty-two-year-old American Brian Linden wears many hats: traveler, businessman, educator, writer, and founder of the Linden Center hotel(Xilinyuan Hotel). Having lived in a village in South China's Yunnan province for nearly twenty years, he now considers himself as one of the"cool new Dali people".
②Born and raised in Chicago, Linden first visited China in 1984. He received a scholarship(奖学金) from the Chinese government and came to study in Beijing. During his stay, he was deeply attracted by Chinese culture and would love to be its communicator.
③After working and traveling in over 100 countries, he gave up his job in the US, sold his house and moved to China with his wife and two sons in 2004. He wanted to find a place and create a new lifestyle. After a tour around China, Linden and his wife finally chose Xizhou, which is not far from Dali. "It is a beautiful place with hundreds of old buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Actually I'm a fan of China's traditional buildings. Traditions here remain as alive as ever and the local people treat me like family. I immediately fell in love here," said Linden.
④With the help of the Dali government, Linden spent all his money repairing a traditional Bai-style house into a hotel for foreign tourists. Now the house is known as Linden Center hotel. It provides international education projects for European and American schools. It also opens 50% of its space to the public, creating a place for more people to communicate with the villagers. It offers free English classes to villagers once a week.
⑤When talking about his future plans, Linden said he wants to do more to share with the world the beauty of China. "Our goal is to turn Xizhou into a window for foreigners to learn about China," said Linden. "I hope that through my efforts, more people can love China."
