Meet Jim Spear: the American designer who turned his Great Wall-adjacent dream into a reality. 🌟 In 1994, he bought a house in Beijing’s Mutianyu Village—a stone’s throw from the iconic landmark—and launched a renovation revolution.
Starting with an abandoned school, Spear transformed it into a vibrant hub with a restaurant 🍜, art glass shop 🎨, and gallery. Then, in 2006, he flipped a disused tile factory in nearby Beigou Village into a chic hotel 🏨. These projects didn’t just revive forgotten spaces—they turned both villages into hotspots for travelers seeking a slice of culture and history between hikes on the Great Wall.
🏞️ 'It’s about respecting tradition while breathing new life into communities,' says Spear, whose work highlights cross-cultural collaboration. Today, these villages are proof that creativity can bridge continents and centuries.
