Ashley Qin founded QUALIA Art Advisory, where she specializes in contemporary art collecting. She began her career at Christie’s before working with international collectors, museums, and galleries at West Bund Art & Design. As Director of YIT Art, she oversaw exhibitions and artist collaborations across China’s contemporary art scene.

Dale uses bazi, qimen, and feng shui to help clients explore questions about career, relationships, and life changes. A 28th-generation inheritor of the Zheng-Yi Qimen lineage, he has trained under three masters. His approach also draws on a Kellogg MBA and experience as a consulting partner.

Dr. Evan Pinto is a Doctor of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine with more than a decade of experience in Shanghai. Trained in New York and Beijing, he divides his work between clinical practice, teaching, and public education. He introduces WildChina guests to Chinese wellness philosophy in clear, accessible terms.

Journalist and documentary filmmaker Dvir Bargal has devoted much of his work to uncovering Shanghai’s Jewish history. A longtime resident of the city, he has researched stories that connect Jewish communities across China, the Silk Road, and the Middle East, sharing his findings through articles and films.

Based in Hong Kong, Ellen Zhuang manages 10 Chancery Lane Gallery, a contemporary art gallery with a focus on Asia. Her work in the gallery sector has given her a broad view of the region’s artists and cultural landscape. She shares that knowledge with guests interested in contemporary art.

Eric Liu has practiced Yang-style tai chi for more than 40 years. Founder of Beijing Sanfeng Tai Chi Club and a seventh-generation heir of the Wang lineage, he brings Taoist philosophy into his teaching. His experience includes international lectures and training for companies such as IBM and Daimler-Benz.

Fongyee Walker is the first Master of Wine based in mainland China and co-founder of Dragon Phoenix. For two decades, she has helped develop wine education through tours, classes, masterclasses, and screen appearances. Her knowledge of Chinese food, culture, and history adds depth to her approach to wine travel.

A chef and award-winning author from England, Fuchsia Dunlop became an expert in Sichuanese food after living in Chengdu and becoming the first foreigner to graduate from the prestigious Sichuan Institute of Higher Cuisine. A graduate of University of Cambridge, she has written for numerous publications and published several books focused on Chinese cuisine. Her book The Food of Sichuan remains a definitive work on the subject.

Howard Hao studied Sports Management and Martial Arts at Beijing University of Physical Education. A tai chi expert, he has been recognized by Macao TV for his influence on Chinese martial arts. His teaching draws on formal training and years spent sharing the practice of tai chi with others.

Architect and urbanist Jason Hilgefort founded Land+Civilization Compositions. Over more than 20 years, he has worked on city projects and alternative education initiatives across Asia and Europe. His interest in cultural landscapes and infrastructure informs the way he examines China’s cities and their changing built environments.

Explorer, author, and tea expert Jeff Fuchs was named one of Canada’s “Greatest Explorers” by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. He is the first documented Westerner to travel the Tea Horse Road, and has also followed historic salt and pashmina routes through the Himalayan region.

Shanghai-based tai chi coach John Zhang has 15 years of experience across tai chi, wing chun, sanda, and competition martial arts. Mentored by a national team coach, he has won numerous accolades and taught clients ranging from former US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke to teams at Volkswagen and Goldman Sachs.

Kylie Bisman is a qualified horticulturist and urban farming advocate based in Shanghai. With a background in ancient history and art history, she explores the connections between plants and Chinese culture. She manages a community rooftop farm and leads workshops on sustainable food production.

Lucy Liang has guided visitors through the Shanghai Museum since the early 2000s, including senior executives and a former US president. Drawing on a collection of more than 120,000 ancient Chinese artifacts, she gives context to the objects on display and the cultural history behind them.

Calligrapher and seal engraver Lucy Wang founded her studio in 2016. She holds a master’s degree in both disciplines and studied under calligrapher Yu Wenhui in New York. Through her studio, she has shared these traditional Chinese art forms with individuals and organizations from more than 40 countries.

Mei Zhang founded WildChina and grew it from a small hutong operation into an award-winning travel company. Her work has earned recognition from Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, and Wendy Perrin. She is an Aspen Institute China Fellow and serves on Harvard Business School’s Alumni Board.

Shanghai’s Old Town is the focus of Micky Xu’s doctoral research at Tongji University. Raised in the city, she studies the area’s history, heritage sites, and urban development, alongside the conservation of historic buildings. She draws on that work when exploring Shanghai’s older neighborhoods with visitors.

Neil Schmid is Scholar-in-Residence at the Dunhuang Academy and a leading researcher of medieval Buddhist visual culture. He studied Chinese and East Asian studies in the United States, Japan, and France before earning his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania. His work brings scholarly context to Dunhuang’s artistic heritage.

Patrick Cranley has studied China’s business, politics, and culture for more than 30 years. A widely published writer and frequent speaker, he now focuses on Shanghai’s history, architecture, and urban development. Having lived in the city since 1997, he brings years of firsthand observation to his research.

Shanghai’s past is central to the work of London-born author Paul French, who lived in the city for many years. His book Midnight in Peking became a New York Times bestseller and a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week. It also earned major awards for nonfiction crime writing.

Shasha Liu works in contemporary art as a curator and gallerist. Originally from Beijing, she holds a master’s degree in Curatorial Practice from California College of the Arts. She was Director of F2 Gallery in Beijing’s Caochangdi art district before joining Shanghai’s ART LABOR Gallery as a partner.

Thomas Lindesay grew up beside the Great Wall and now guides travelers along it. In 2018, he became the youngest person to walk from Jiayuguan to Dandong, covering 3,842 kilometers in 153 days. His journeys draw on that firsthand experience and his longstanding interest in the Wall’s history and conservation.

William Lindesay has spent more than 800 days on the Great Wall during his many years in China, completing “the most successful foreign exploration of the Great Wall” according to China’s Xinhua News Agency. The British researcher has conducted extensive surveys on the Beijing portion of the Great Wall and published three books on the subject.

Zoey Xinyi Gong combines nutritional science with Traditional Chinese Medicine food therapy. A registered dietitian and chef from Shanghai, she founded Silver Root Apothecary after studying nutrition at New York University. Her work explores how Chinese dietary traditions can inform everyday eating, a subject she also addresses in The Five Elements Cookbook.