The man who discovered the lost Great Wall

By William Wang

CRI, March 28, 2012

Recently, an Englishman who is possibly the world's most prominent Great Wall enthusiast has made headlines in over 40 countries around the world. His story regarding the "lost Great Wall" has been the most read story on National Geographic's website. He recently spoke at Beijing's Trends Lounge, where he shared stories and insights.

In 1987, William Lindesay came to China to trek the wall's entire 2470 km length, where he was arrested nine times, and deported once. At the time, it was very difficult for foreigners to gain entry to China, and Lindesay knew that his goal of hiking the wall was technically forbidden. "I had to come to terms that if I wanted to succeed on my mission I had to have a philosophy of trespass I call it. Because I'm a very law-abiding citizen. Trespass is a crime, I suppose."

Armed with a negligible grasp of Chinese and a small rucksack, he began hiking the wall. He also had a notebook in which he had a message written in Chinese, asking for the essentials for survival.

"I just hoped that they'd give me the water, food and shelter that I needed. And they did. Day after day after day. Actually… my journey in '87 was 78 days and I stayed with more than 60 farming families, and they were all incredibly warm-hearted."

The message also asked his hosts to write their names and village name for him. Incredibly, 20 years later Lindesay used his notebook to pay a surprise second visit to the families who had helped him before. They were amazed that the strange visitor hadn't forgotten them.

Not only did Lindesay meet with families, he also was reunited with the police officers who had arrested and deported him. But this time, he wasn't a trespasser: he was a hero. He met the mayor and the party secretary, and was made an honorary citizen for his esteemed work preserving the Great Wall. Photos he'd taken on his first trip were exhibited in the Yulin cultural square. Lindesay's story was now a symbol for China's opening up, as Beijing Evening News ran a feature called "From Trespasser to Honorary Citizen in Yulin."