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As the calendar page turns to mark 25 years of WildChina, founder Mei Zhang visited the Chengdu office to share her reflections on what has shaped our journey over the past quarter-century.
Drawing from decades of experience on the ground, Mei spoke about what truly defines a WildChina journey: the people behind it. It is these human connections, she reminded the team, that form the DNA of WildChina. This belief has guided each step, each carefully considered journey, since WildChina began in 2000.
The role of the guide, in Mei’s words
One of the key points Mei shared was the role of the guide. A WildChina guide, she emphasized, doesn’t rely on a script. Instead, they bring their own understanding of a place — shaped by where they’re from, what they’ve seen, and how they connect with others. Each guide offers something personal: a way of seeing that invites travelers to slow down, ask questions, and notice the details that might otherwise be missed.
Mei recalled her own experience hiking along Yunnan’s Tea Horse Trail, not with a typical tour leader, but with Aluo. As they walked, Aluo pointed out which plants were safe to eat and which herbs could help ease an illness. It was a moment that stayed with her: a reminder that a journey becomes meaningful through the quiet insights of someone who truly knows the land.
A warm-hearted way of living
These reflections extended beyond guides. Mei spoke about the importance of the local communities WildChina works with — hosts and partners who are deeply rooted in the places they call home. These individuals, she said, embody “a warm-hearted way of living.” Through them, travelers are welcomed into everyday experiences and long-standing traditions that offer a far richer understanding of place than any guidebook could convey.
Reading the land: why local knowledge matters
Mei also spoke about the importance of local knowledge — how it shapes not just what travelers see, but how they understand what they see. In her words, locals “read the landscape, read the plants, animals and people” — an intuitive way of knowing a place that comes from long experience. It’s this perspective, she said, that allows a visit to become something more personal and meaningful.
She shared an example from a farm in Weishan, where the timing of a journey might coincide with the short season for suantai (garlic sprouts), harvested in March. It’s the kind of detail that might pass unnoticed, but in the hands of a local host, it becomes a window into seasonal rhythms, culinary traditions, and community life.
This respect for lived experience also ties back to Mei’s academic work. Her PhD research at Berkeley explores how changing patterns of accessibility and connectivity affect rural livelihoods in Yunnan, a province home to 25 ethnic minorities. Through that lens, she came to see how geography, culture, and environment are closely linked — and how people, above all, shape the land and its stories. As she put it, people are the “number one influencer of the environment.”
WildChina’s enduring core: building on human connection
Throughout her visit, Mei returned to a theme that has remained central since WildChina’s founding: the value of people and culture. She reminded the team that while traveler experience is always a top priority, internal relationships matter too. “Team members also need to be remembered,” she said.
This culture of mutual respect is reflected outward — in the way our guides work with travelers, in the trust we build with partners, and in the lasting connections that define each journey.
As WildChina steps into its next chapter, Mei emphasized that this focus on human connection isn’t just part of our past, it’s the foundation of our future. The real destination, she reminded us, lies not just in the landscapes we visit, but in the people we meet along the way: the guide who shares a personal story, the host who offers a home-cooked meal, the team member who supports it all behind the scenes. These moments — shared, grounded, and real— are what continue to define the WildChina journey.
By Mari Yang
