Friends from Afar: Dreams built beneath the Great Wall

Jim Spear, a designer and an architect from the United States, has called China home for over 40 years.

Captivated by the Great Wall during then U.S. President Richard Nixon's historic visit in 1972, Jim says he dreamed of one day owning a house beneath it. That dream came true in 1994, when he acquired a house in Beijing's Mutianyu Village.

After moving in, he started a renovation program, turning an abandoned primary school into a restaurant, an art glass shop and a gallery. Furthermore, he rented and renovated a disused glaze tile factory in Beigou Village into a hotel in 2006.

What motivated Jim to embark on this journey? What's his design philosophy? And what stories connect him to these villages in China? Check out the video to uncover the answers.

Directed by Gao Yuxin

Edited by Xu Wen