Internal working platform of Yunnan Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries

Because of yearning, they came to China; because of their dreams, they chose to stay. When foreigners "meet China", what kind of sparks will they collide with?

From studying in China in the 1980s to now running an inn in Dali, Yunnan, the fate of American Brian Linden and China has lasted for more than 30 years . Living in the countryside for a long time, Lin Deng felt the great changes in China's mountains and villages; he also gradually understood the way of China's development through the countryside. Today, we will follow the reporter and walk into Linden's story of "Meeting China".

Lin Deng is the owner of the "Xilinyuan" Inn in Dali, Yunnan.

The predecessor of "Xilin Garden" was a courtyard of the Bai nationality with a long history. And the ancient town of Xizhou in Dali where it is located was once the "Xanadu" written by Lao She: "Within less than one mile, there is Erhai Lake. Within five or six miles, there are high mountains." Such a rural picture scroll is also the world in Lin Deng's eyes. The most beautiful look in the country.

“I have been to more than 100 countries, not only the countryside, but also some cities. We found that the most attractive to me and our family may be the rural areas of China    

In 2004, Linden resigned from his job in the United States, sold his house, took his wife and two children, and came to Yunnan, China Settle in Xizhou, Dali. Four years later, an inn transformed from an old house of the Bai people officially opened, and the Chinese "country dream" of Lin Deng, the owner of the inn, also began.

In Linden’s eyes, the Chinese countryside has culture, scenery, fireworks and human touch. Every morning, he would go to the morning market with his back on his back, chatting with the local villagers. He loves this group of motivated, hardworking and friendly people. In getting along with them, he also felt the sense of gain and happiness brought to them by rural development.

Linden said: "In China In rural areas, villagers have a positive and enterprising spirit. Including our workers, carpenters and carpenters, their children have basically gone to college. So I think that in the current rural areas, their needs and dreams are the same as those in big cities Very tall."

Living in Xizhou for more than ten years, Lin Deng has witnessed the great changes in China's mountains and villages. In July 2020, all 11 impoverished counties in Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province were lifted out of poverty. It is an "amazing" huge project in Linden's view that such a remote area can be lifted out of poverty. In his view, poverty alleviation not only improves the infrastructure in the village and improves the quality of education in the countryside, but more importantly, it gives the villagers confidence in development. "In China, I really admire the current government. They have done a good job in sewage treatment; they have protected the Erhai Lake; they have repaired the high-speed railway from Kunming to Dali; they have built hospitals and schools so that villagers feel more confident to develop themselves. Therefore, I think China’s poverty alleviation policy is really worth learning from other countries.”

In recent years, Linden has witnessed the appreciation of Chinese and foreign tourists for the ancient town of Xizhou The yearning and love of the city also bear witness to the balance and achievements the Chinese here have found in development and protection.

Linden Said: "The governance of Erhai Lake and the protection of Cangshan Mountain, the government has been doing better. The governance of Erhai Lake has been in its seventh year. I didn't expect the governance of Erhai Lake to be so challenging and difficult. (In) some countries they ( Maybe) will give up, but I found that in Dali, they have been thinking of new ways, (using) a new way to achieve their goals, so I feel very touched in this regard. I think there is no one other than China The country can do so well.”

Living in rural China for more than ten years, Lin Deng has his own unique perspective on China. He said that the secret of China's development is not only a safe and stable political environment, a sustainable economic foundation, an unswerving open policy...but also every Chinese's family and country feelings. "In the United States, everyone lives for what they think or for themselves. (But) I found that in China, a person is not only himself, but also (represents) his older generation and the next generation. Everyone has a sense of responsibility for his family, and this sense of responsibility will go beyond his personal needs, so I admire this, because it is a sustainable social system. I think their children, for China, for The future development of China’s rural areas will (will) be very willing to return to their original homes, bring back some of the wisdom they have learned, and create a new rural area.”