Elizabeth Steiner

Elizabeth Steiner – My First Dawn in China in 2008 My introduction to China happened by chance. After being let go from a publishing house in Munich, I bought a one-way ticket to Beijing, with only small savings and a phrasebook. During my first week, I stayed in a hostel where I met an elderly Chinese woman named Lin. She invited me to stay in her home, and it was there that I discovered the real China – the familial one, with its rituals and unwritten rules. I remember my first dawn on the Great Wall of China – I got there with a group of local enthusiasts, and that's when I felt this land had become part of my soul. Instead of the planned two weeks, I stayed for a year. I learned the language working as a translator for tourists, and later as a guide. Every penny I earned went into traveling around the country. For 17 years now, I've worked as a China expert. I currently live in Xi'an, and my second base is an estate in the Huangshan mountains, where I host travelers who want to experience the authentic China. Over these years, I've created a library of unique routes, written the book "Beyond the Wall: Unknown China Through European Eyes," and help travelers discover the country I fell in love with many years ago.