Jim Spear, a designer and an architect from the United States, says he dreamed of one day owning a house beneath the Great Wall in China. That dream came true in 1994, when he acquired a house in Beijing's Mutianyu Village. He has been living there ever since.
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 renovated a disused glaze tile factory in Beigou Village into a hotel in 2006. These repurposed buildings have attracted crowds of visitors. The villages have also become must-visit places for tourists visiting the Great Wall.
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