China, Beijing, Mutianyu, Slow Food…….

A new country is always exciting right? Wrong! Get stuck in bureaucratic wrangles about your itinerary, buy your ticket the same day as you fly, have an 8-hour layover in Moscow and finally arrive in new country in the middle of the night. Do all that and then tell me you are still excited. Oh, I forgot – my Chinese is minimal at best and the English spoken by the taxi driver at the airport reflected a similar level of understanding. I considered myself lucky to get to my hostel without any further trouble. I was still looking forward to the two months of my internship but just hoped that it would be more straightforward. I am an Indian studying in Austria so bureaucracy is no stranger but am just hoping that China is a bit simpler.

Sleep came easily the first night – the next few would go to make me understand the meaning of the word “Jet lag”. But that is as far as the negatives of the trip go so far. Beijing is extremely interesting – a heady mix of the past, present and the future. And then there is Mutianyu, the Great Wall and The Schoolhouse ….

My internship at The Schoolhouse began soon afterwards. In some ways it has been a continuation of what I did earlier in marketing. In a lot of other ways though, things are very different. Till now I have only worked for companies that operate on large budgets and have big offices – even if they try to help the common man. The Schoolhouse on the other hand is a close-knit organization, with just about every person carrying out multiple tasks.

The first thing you realize as you enter the village, about 70 kilometers out of Beijing, is that the Great Wall is not as visible as you would expect it to be. But then you have not yet found the right spots. You walk into the room where you would be living for the foreseeable future and you realize you are going to be just fine. The neighbors – your fellow colleagues – are extremely helpful. And when you smile and express your ignorance about anything – they smile back and then help.

The office at The Schoolhouse is a medium sized room, home to all the IT technology and most of the managers. The glass workshop and the kitchen are equally well equipped – but given my lack of knowledge in those areas I cannot elaborate much further. There is a flag right by the entrance to the courtyard – memories of school days come rushing back. And when the night falls, the stars are bright and clear – even after just a few days in Beijing it is a refreshing change.

It is a nice place to work in. Most importantly, the people are happy and cheerful. So even when a long drawn internet odyssey starting from Google does not lead to any good information – I can always step out and have a laugh. My main project is working on an upcoming Slow Food event – more on that in the next post – and the internet is a vital resource but sometimes it does not work out as you expect it to. The language does make a slight barrier but it is often forgotten. I must admit that this is probably the best class in Chinese I have ever had – and it does not cost anything. You do not understand something – just ask and there is usually someone there to help you.

It helps there is a compatriot – the Chef. Randhir is a jovial person and completely responsible for ensuring that I stay in touch with my native tongue. Morgan, the guy I work with the most, is great as well. We share a room so inevitably there is a fair amount of banter. But in general there is a lot that he knows and shares generously. Juliet, Nellie and Gregory – our neighbors – are fun to hang out with – the evenings allow for some really nice walks.

And then there are the villagers. Once work is over for the day, I usually walk up to the small shop about hundred meters up from the house. As the evening falls, most of the villagers come out onto the road to chat a bit before sleeping. It is a curious mix – small children, the youth and the older generation – all chatting with each other. In a lot of ways this is perhaps what rural China is all about – lots of connections and a lot of friendships.

So that is a bit about China, Beijing and Mutianyu from a newcomer’s perspective. This is first series of blogs that I will write regularly in the near future. If this has intrigued you a bit, I would suggest that you look at the next post as well – in which I will try and explain what I do, what The Schoolhouse is aiming for and why sustainability has to be and is more than just a buzzword.

Zaijian ☺

Tweet this! August 14th, 2010 in Uncategorized 1 Comment

Slow Foods at Mutianyu Great Wall

One my first assignments here at The Schoolhouse was to read the book “The Omnivore’s Dilemma.” Michael Pollan’s absorbing read was followed by a screening of Food Inc. I watched the powerful documentary at the home of Schoolhouse partners Tang Liang and Jim Spear while nibbling on pumpkin seeds. It was an eye-opening introduction to Mutianyu and to The Schoolhouse’s culinary philosophy. Both the book and the documentary highlight the corporate-controlled food system that supplies us with abundant unhealthy, cheap, processed eats. It’s exactly this industrial food chain that we are trying to break free from at The Schoolhouse.

Our kitchen follows the principles of The Slow Food movement. Begun in Italy, Slow Foods was started by citizens concerned with the fast food chains threatening to take over Italian piazzas. At its core, Slow Foods is all about bringing the joy back in eating. I was introduced to the concept while working as a news producer for Italy’s public service broadcaster. Food snobs though my colleagues were, they ate well. And despite the high stress and fast pace of the newsroom, my colleagues always found the time to enjoy a lovely, lengthy lunch. It was nice to experience – I used to be prone to eating on the go. And that is a big part of what Slow Foods is all about: taking the time to connect with friends over delicious tastes.

Slow Foods is also about food education. As a kid, to the chagrin of my mother, I ate at McDonalds with pals during school lunch break. As a late teen I became more conscious of what I ate. The reason being I liked girls. For me being health conscious had to do with vanity. I didn’t want pimples and I didn’t want to be overweight. Now, a different standard dictates my decision making as far as food choices. I want to eat foods which taste good and which are good for me. I want to avoid over-processed meals and pesticide laden vegetables. I want to know more about where my food comes from and how it is made. And that is the other component to Slow Foods – connecting consumers and producers, and becoming more aware of how we nourish ourselves.

At The Schoolhouse we have always put our heart and soul into our cooking. We grow many of our own vegetables and fruits, procure foods locally in our Huairou District, and make almost everything fresh and homemade on our premises. Our Monday staff tasting sessions are a weekly highlight. The taste and scent of our bread brings me back to Tuscany, where with my friend Cristiana, we would eat bread she would bake dipped in freshly cold-pressed oil from her olive trees. On a sweeter note, here at The Schoolhouse, we top home baked bread with jams and marmalades that we make ourselves with apricots, dates and other fruits from our villages.

Our love for slow foods and our commitment to preserve the local farming and the local ways of life of the villages of Mutianyu, Beigou, Xinying and Tianxianyu, inspired the idea of Slow Food Saturday at Mutianyu Great Wall that will take place on September 4.

To find out more visit our event site, and do share your comments

Tweet this! July 12th, 2010 in Entries 2 Comments

Local Honey and Brillinat Beekeeping at Mutianyu.

We try hard to source locally at The Schoolhouse for a number of reasons – it makes for a fresher product, it has a lower environmental impact, and it keeps money in the community. A great example of this is Mr Xi – a native of Mutianyu who has been raising honey for over ten years. He learned the practice from his siblings and father growing up and now has about 50 bee boxes producing honey all Spring, Summer and Fall. Mr Xi uses two types of bees to produce different honey: Italian and Chinese bees. Italian bees are the industry standard in the United States as well as China. They are favored for long hive life-span and their high production. Xi says he buys Italian bees from local breeders and can easily start new colonies to increase honey production.

Raising the Chinese variety is more of an art, and it takes years of experience to pull it off. The main problem comes from starting a hive. The queen sits atop the bee hierarchy, so to start a new hive, you need to find a Chinese queen bee you can encourage to move into your bee box. Luckily, queen bees quarrel just like humans and when a new queen is born a power struggle ensues, and either the old or the new queen must leave. Once one of the the queens leaves, Mr. Xi explained, the queen will fly a maximum of 50 meters to find a new location to begin a hive. Mr Xi’s crafty strategy is to place a comfortable bee box – perfect for new a new colony – right where the tired, defeated queen bee will be looking. But if this event happens one day out of the year, how does he know when to wait for the bee so he can move the box out to get her? It’s called tradition.

Chinese farmers use a 24 period solar calendar (中氣) to determine when to plant, harvest, and irrigate. Mr. Xi has learned from his parents and probably their parents before them that hives experience a power struggle from the beginning of “full grain” period (小滿 xiǎomǎn ) to the summer solstice (夏至 xiàzhì), or from May 21 to June 21st. During this month long period Mr Xi goes up to existing wild hives to see how full they are with honey. When the hives are very full, Xi knows one of the queen bees must leave. He places a box near the hive and waits for the queen to move into the new home. Once she moves he can take the queen and her new colony back to his farm and start making honey.

Chinese and Italian honey is quite different. First of all Chinese honey is more expensive, it fetches 2 to 3 times the price of Italian honey, and this has partly to do with the bee’s anatomy. Italian bees have a small proboscis (tube for collecting nectar) but a big stomach, whereas Chinese bees have a longer proboscis and a smaller stomach. Thus, when collecting pollen and sucking nectar Chinese bees can reach deeper pollen sources that contain more flavors, but their stomachs fill quickly, so they collect less honey with each trip. Xi maintains (and unfortunately he had run out of honey, so I was unable to confirm) that Chinese honey has a completely different and more complex flavor. It is certainly preferred by local villagers. So, if you visit Mutianyu, check in and visit Mr Xi and try some of his great honey – either from him directly, or at The Schoolhouse. You can also visit his farm, it’s just down the road. If you prod a bit perhaps he can take you to visit a wild colony.

Thank you to my friend Tim Ingalls for taking the lead on this post.

Tweet this! June 14th, 2010 in Entries 4 Comments

Chef Randhir

Chef Randhir speaks like he cooks. His bouts of silence are followed by a flurry of speech filled with both enthusiasm and determination. His words are both playful and serious. He is the same way in the kitchen. He oversees his workspace almost like a predator, surveying the landscape before springing into action. He carves a slab of meat, experiments with the ingredients, rearranges a dish and chops away. He has a passion for cooking and like all who do something with passion, he remembers to have fun. He runs a tight ship and leads his cooks with authority and affection.

Thanksgiving Turkey

Randhir is originally from India but over the past four years of living and working at Mutianyu he has crafted a Chinese which is all bits and pieces he has picked up, but no classroom experience to put the pieces together. He has a unique way of speaking Chinese which is all his own. And his kitchen staff understand him perfectly, whether or not they understand his words. They are so attentive and attuned to their chef’s sensibilities that before he has the chance to speak they have already gotten their cue and add more spice to a soup or remove a casserole from the oven. The kitchen works like clockwork. They are in synchrony.

I call Randhir the luckiest chef alive because his kitchen is such a unique, dedicated environment. His staff are all local housewives who have, over the years, become adept at fusion cuisine. They are hardworking and never take a shortcut. And since it is Randhir who sets the tone, they also are both playful and serious. Their smiles and laughs are contagious. It is a kitchen to write a book about. And it shows in the food – click here to read our reviews.

Here at the Schoolhouse Randhir has the chance to pursue the Slow Food philosophy that is dear to his heart. At The Schoolhouse, Randhir has one overarching mission: that each and every one of our dishes be fresh, homemade and prepared with care using local ingredients. Our minestrone pot changes every day depending on what’s available. Vegetables come from our own gardens or local suppliers. We knead and roll the dough and cut the pasta ourselves and top it all off with one of our fresh sauces. We bake most of our own bread. Even the mayonnaise on our sandwiches is made in our own kitchen. The same goes for our desserts. Our brownies are cut from the baking pan. Our ice cream is made in small batches, with no additives or stabilizers, and we use fruit picked from our own trees whenever we can.

He has come a long way, this chef from New Dehli. After working in three different continents – and though he is a stranger in a faraway land – it seems Randhir has found his home. He practices his culinary arts, excels at running a kitchen, and lives with the love of his life Christine Chang. She also works at The Schoolhouse (more on Christine in another entry). For this time, we’ll end on the food. Check out the photo below of our Beigou Napoletan. The dessert gets its name because the strawberries are from neighboring Beigou village.

Tweet this! May 30th, 2010 in Entries 3 Comments

My Neighbor Chen Yu Ming

My neighbor Chen Yu Ming is a unique character. He has the gift of gab. That much I can tell. Though, with my limited Chinese, I have trouble making out the details of what he says. I visit his house every third night and we watch TV and eat snacks and chew the fat. He often tries to convince me of his opinions. He tries to convince me to find a Chinese bride, or to have my mother move to China, or to open my own business. He gives me a neat rundown of reasons, many of which I fail to understand. But in the end, I am convinced. It’s the vigorous way he communicates, as if there were no other right answer but his own. When we reach a fork in the road and I’m not quite sure what he’s saying he lets out a hearty laugh and we leave it at that.

On these nights I always bring him his favorite cigarettes. A pack goes for less than a dollar at the local convenience store. Those prices make smokers in the US yearn for the good old days. In China, the top-notch cigarettes go for a buck fifty. I find bartering is the best exchange, Chen Yu Ming provides roasted chestnuts and fresh dried fruit and hot tea and we chomp away. But it’s the company that counts most.

Chen Yu Ming is a local artisan. He chisels detailed panoramas and portraits into black marble slabs. His work is detailed. He holds a metal bit in one hand and leads with the other and with a wrist that is a jackhammer he taps into his black marble slab thousands of times over. It is a repetitive task which requires skill and attention. One slip of the hand and that’s hours you wasted. Chen Yu Ming sells his marble slabs up by the Great Wall to passing tourists. It is a hustle, but he enjoys his work. On a good day he sells two pieces. On a bad day he sells none. But he is a content man with two healthy children. He has seen hard days in his past. The present is a breeze because China’s economy has improved so much.

Mr. Chen at work

I’m thrilled we thought it would be nice for Chen Yu Ming to display his work at The Schoolhouse. I am thrilled because it gives Chen Yu Ming a chance to show his work in a different venue. Our customers come to enjoy a relaxed meal under the Great Wall. They come to enjoy a view without the commotion of the tourist crowds. They may want to take the time to appreciate his work and maybe have some questions about the process and the tools and the stones he uses.

It is also a great opportunity for us. It allows us to give back to and engage with our community. Down the road we’d like to have more local artisans display and sell their work at The Schoolhouse. We’d like to encourage the blossoming of local craftsmen and artists. That’s what Schoolhouse Art Glass is all about. Partners Peiming and Julie-Upton Wang have applied their passion for art and glass and introduced a glassblowing shop to Mutianyu. Our master glass blower Jiang Jiamei has developed his talent over the years and his work is marvelous. And just like Chen Yu Ming who chisels away, we are diligently striving to make a mark and realize our vision, one bit at a time.

Tweet this! May 2nd, 2010 in Entries 6 Comments

Bohai or Bust, the Follow Up

The Roadhouse

In the end, Bohai was no Bust, it was a resounding success! Some numbers:

1) Over 160 participants
2) Over 6,000 km cycled
3) Over RMB 25,000 raised for charity (RMB 25,941.50 to be exact). The monies include:

RMB 14500    Registration for 145 adults
RMB 850        Registration for 17 children
RMB 1191.50 Boulangerie Nanda baked goodies stand
RMB 200        Beijing improv tickets auction item
RMB 600        Jakroo biking gear auction item
RMB 1200      Brickyard Saturday Night Stay auction item
RMB 1200      Singing Wine Glasses auction item

Off They Go!!!

RMB 3000 Private Chef’s Dinner auction item
RMB 3200 Trek 3900 MTB Bicycle auction item

Just as important as the money raised, Bohai was a blast, and everyone had a good time – from the local elders to the cyclists to our team of 17 volunteers!

A special salute to Joshua Wales, who unfortunately encountered a bad driver and took a spill. His bike may have been bruised, but his spirit was none the worse off.

And of course a special thank you to all of our sponsors as well as

Through the Tunnel

our co-hosts at The China Charity Challenge and their leading members who blazed the Bohai trails: Mark Thirlwall, MCK, and Vincent Ng. Without their support the event would not have been possible.

To see more photos, visit the newly created Schoolhouse Fan Page and check out the Bohai photos. We are also having a photo contest – the winner will be awarded a free Saturday night stay at

The Brickyard!

With Spring in the air that can only mean one thing – Spring Planting is upon us. Next week I’ll be back to my old pensive self, turning my attention to our sustainable foods program.

We’ve planted radishes, spinach and leeks so far.

But for the time being:

Happy Trails!!!!

Already looking forward to next year at Mutianyu Great Wall, Bohai or Bust style …

Tweet this! April 16th, 2010 in Entries 5 Comments

Urban Migration

Last week I went to a literary reading with my good friend and former Schoolhouse manager Maclean Brodie. Mac has got a smooth name and a smoother persona and aside from being a business branding whiz he has an academic streak. Truth be told, I miss school and academia’s ivory tower. So I hustled on the bus to Beijing where I made friends with an old salesman who sold musical trinkets. The man appeared twenty years younger than his fifty-eight and we spoke first about nations and then about music. With my limited Chinese I didn’t understand the nuts and bolts of our conversation but got the gestalt. After the bus ride the old salesman and I hopped on the subway together and he hymned tunes and when we parted it was all a bit nostalgic. He in the subway station waving, his arm a pendulum swaying above a sea of straphangers, his smile lost in the crowd.

I made it to The Bookworm just in time. The Bookworm is a Beijing institution, half bookstore half bar. This month their literary festival has brought authors from all over the world. More info on their programs here. The evening’s talk was dubbed Inner City Pressure. A very fitting theme. For the past 40 years Chinese literature has been dominated by pastoral tales. Stories on the disgruntled villager or the struggle to eke out a living from the land. In recent years – with this nation so rapidly transforming from one of villages to one of ever-expanding cities – a more urban literature has lagged behind. Until now. At The Bookworm urban authors Miao Wei and Xue Zechen were on hand to talk of their works. They write of high rises, taxi cabs, cinemas and dance-halls. They are the new voice for a new literature ringing with the sounds of an increasingly urbanized China and its increasingly energized youth.

Xue Zechen comes from a village in Jiangsu Province and his realist writings focus on migrant workers in China’s big cities. Miao Wei is more the Beijing intellectual concerned with the existential strife in today’s China. Both authors were engaging in their own right. Though their styles differ, one message was loud and clear: that rural life is vanishing, and that this urban transformation is defining today’s China. As the authors spoke through interpreters and garnered nods and told jokes and solicited laughs I could not help but think of Mutianyu village. Rural communities are shrinking as the young flee to jobs and excitement in cities and the countryside population declines and ages. Townships have been an afterthought in this push towards modernization. I am neither pro-village or pro-city. The sacredness of the rhythm of nature attracts me, but so does the fast pace of the urban beat. The important thing, to my mind, is that people have the opportunity to lead dignified lives in the place of their choosing.

I think one of the most important aims of The Schoolhouse is to help provide modern livelihoods so that local people have the economic ability to provide for themselves and sustain the life of the village of Mutianyu and its surrounding rural communities without having to leave home. Within our microcosm we have done that. We have employed some 200 villagers. We provide training, and benefits. And the results are amazing. Take a group of housewives with no formal work experience who have become innovative chefs of fusion cuisine and can support and raise their children in the villages. That is something special. It offers a glimmer of hope and a worthy case study in this era of urban migration.

Tweet this! March 30th, 2010 in Entries, Uncategorized 5 Comments

Waterless Gullies

As a kid I had a cat that was grey and obese and he would lay on my stomach and we both had to keep our focus lest he shift his weight and roll off me like Jell-O that jingles off a spoon. That cat was a feline Buddha, the quivers of its breath so replete, its purrs its mantra. I loved my fat cat. Unfortunately in Mutianyu the cats prefer to keep their distance. At times I hear their meows and no matter my supplications when I approach they flee, charging down the town’s gullies where they skitter past the occasional donkey. The cats here are alley cats. The town’s gullies are their alleyways.

Snow-filled gully, in March!

My colleague Riki from Belgium posed the question: why don’t the gullies have water? The answer she found: there’s not enough to go around. North China has experienced droughts for over a decade. There are signs in Mutianyu reminding villagers to use water sparingly. The same signs can be found the whole Chinese countryside over. The Gobi desert looms in the North and slowly spreads its parched grasp. As the Cleantechies blog points out, air pollution doesn’t help the situation.

More efficient irrigation is a stopgap solution. Nothing like a farmer’s ingenuity though. In Mutianyu they find ways to preserve their orchards. In the summer, locals use plastic sheets to funnel rainwater into dugouts which they then spread onto tree roots. It suffices.

I have heard about a World Water Crisis and evil corporations that will control our water supply and leave the poor out to dry. Business is business, but the company that chokes water supply in poorer parts of the world to turn around and squeeze them for money is unacceptable. I’m thinking I should get the documentary Flow for The Schoolhouse Saturday Night Movies series. This is an important subject, something we should all pay attention to.

Recently The Schoolhouse published its Energy Constitution for our operating businesses. The goal is to monitor energy practices and reduce energy use. That makes both environmental and business sense. Our water practices are an important piece of the puzzle. Yet the question posed by past Schoolhouse intern Eloise Walter remains: if Beijing’s water levels are declining, what difference can one village make?

A wise man named Carr once told me that it’s easy to pose problems, but much better to propose solutions.

Well, in California they will have recycled sewage water. That may well be the best answer.

Tweet this! March 15th, 2010 in Entries 4 Comments

Bohai or Bust

This is an evolving story about all things sustainable and all things China; and it all starts with a sustainable resort that could, can and will. At the foot of the Great Wall, the Schoolhouse at Mutianyu is carving out a niche in sustainable tourism. Come take part in our story.

We figured we had been had once we stumbled upon a wet market. Just minutes before we were haggling with a young couple that moonlighted as local entrepreneurs. They had a homely-looking fruit stand set up on the side of the road. The fruit stand was an upshot of their very own farm, where they grew and dried their very own fruit. All homemade, no pesticides. “Go ahead, try a sample.” Mark took a chunk of pear. “Stuff just tastes better in the country,” he said and we were convinced we had struck gold. MCK bought enough dried fruit to last the drawn out cold Beijing winter … Then we drove off and realized pears didn’t grow this time of year. Not much did …Then we stumbled upon the wet market and realized we overpaid. At least double. The sweet dried tomatoes were delicious still.

The original plan was to get on our bikes and test routes for “Bohai or Bust.” “Bohai or Bust” is The Schoolhouse’s upcoming bicycle charity event we are hosting along with The China Charity Challenge, of which Mark and MCK are partners. But the sky shed flakes of snow and the wind was all gusts and MCK’s lean legs shivered beneath his windbreakers and despite his tough talk and the Aussie accent, Mark was intent on staying behind the car wheel.

“Bohai or Bust” is the result of Schoolhouse intern’s Audrey Gueho’s hard work. Audrey’s guidebook Biking Bohai outlines Bohai township’s twelve best routes and provides a sense of context for the rides. The China Charity Challenge is organizing the event’s logistics. This makes me breathe easy. They put together philanthropic bicycle adventure challenges throughout the most scenic and culturally attractive parts of China. Mark has biked all over Asia and snuck across borders and this will be a walk in the park for the Aussie from down under.

The China Charity Challenge is also an ideal strategic partner for The Schoolhouse. CCC is committed to sustainable development, responsible travel and environmental awareness. MCK, who runs Khaki Creative, is a role model of environmental awareness. He even carries around his own chopsticks wherever he goes, and I shall start doing the same, along with other green chopstickers. Mark, who runs The Hutong, is an emissary of cultural conservation and exchange.

Back in the car we drove and lost track of distances as we passed villages and chatted with villagers and got distracted by the soothing scenery that rolled by. The bike rides will be beautiful come springtime, once the weather warms and nature’s green begins to glide over the countryside.

But I digress. Bohai or Bust is a charity event. Participants will pay a modest registration fee. There will be an auction. And all proceeds are going directly to the elderly residents of Mutianyu. Very often in rural communities it is the elderly who need help the most. Despite filial piety and the Chinese custom to revere one’s elders, and despite the push to promote Confucian values on the Mainland, many old folks are left behind. Money and attention goes towards the younger generations. Towards their education, towards their homes, towards their cars. And the grandparents and great-grandparents become invisible in this push towards modernization and wealth. But on Saturday 3 April, at least for one day, we will give the old folks an event in their honor to let them know they are not forgotten.

Tweet this! March 5th, 2010 in Entries 5 Comments

My Walks

Everyday I take walks. It’s my constitutional. On these walks I say hello to my neighbors. Most are elderly locals and we share eager hellos and wave, and once we pass one another, the fleeting moment of connection fades along with the distance that grows between us and it is back to just walking. On these walks I savor the countryside, the backdrop of snow-topped hills, the nourishing air, the wind that carries the woofs of territorial dogs. I do this and feel content, like a person should feel when taking a step back to observe the beauty of Mother Nature that envelopes us all.

Last week was my first Chinese New Year in China. I spent the holidays in Beijing. In the capital my walks were different. I walked down enormous avenues that are dwarfed by mammoth skyscrapers and sidestepped fireworks and cars that turned hard on red lights. But my city walks were pleasing nonetheless. Beijing is impressive, if only for its modernity and the sheer amount of construction that goes up and out and stretches the city to new limits. There is talk about a real-estate bubble, empty offices, uninhabited spaces. Personally I prefer the crowded back alleys of the maze-like hutongs. It’s at the same time foreign and familiar. It’s at once human.

The Brickyard from afar

In Beijing the old is cast off and new gleaming towers are built and we will eventually see where it all leads. In Mutianyu our approach is different, we preserve the past: see The Schoolhouse Homes website. The original structures are restored, salvageable materials re-used. And the result is not only sustainable, but beautiful. The Schoolhouse office, canteen and glass house were once Mutianyu’s primary school, hence our name. The school stood abandoned for years, until our partners, China Bound LTD, leased the property. The Brickyard Inn, our newest location, was once a run-down tile kiln that belched black smoke. It is now a lush eco-retreat.

Making use of our existing building stock is one of the many reasons we are a sustainable tourism venture. In China foreign firms have envisioned futuristic zero-carbon cities (see Dongtan). And that is captivating, even if unrealized. Just as captivating are the Chinese cities that swell to new dimensions, even if polluting. But for us nothing is as compelling than what already exists, from the hutongs to the country homes. These deserve preserving. It makes more than just environmental sense.

Tweet this! February 21st, 2010 in Entries 6 Comments

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