Get over to Capital M this Sunday, June 11 (4-5:30pm), and explore the lesser known parts of the Great Wall that span the Great Eastern Steppe with William Lindesay, the world’s leading researcher on what he calls the “The Great Wall Outside China,” and his two documentarian sons James and Thomas.
This film, being screened at one of Beijing’s more picturesque fine dining establishments, explores another historically rich side of the Great Wall and examines its possible connections to the great conqueror Genghis Khan. Due to its desolate location, in the lands that border Mongolia, it is an often neglected piece of the past which until now hadn’t been given a proper examination concerning its important role in history.
To do this Lindesay set out on a 60-day journey with his wife and two sons. He gave his two teenage sons, James and Thomas, all of the tools necessary to document parts of the 1,500 km fortified structure, in hopes of discovering some of the mysteries that lie deep within – and above too, through plenty of drone footage. Following the trip, James and Thomas edited the footage down, and it has since been featured on BBC News and the Discovery Channel.
There isn’t another family on our beijingkids radar that shares this intense passion for the history of the Great Wall and its geographical importance. In 1987, William Lindesay first documented and traversed its 2,470 km length on foot. He has since authored five books on the subject, curated two national exhibitions in Beijing – one at the Capital Museum and a second at the Imperial Academy – and still takes other adventure enthusiasts on walking tours of the wild and unrestored sections of the wall. Find out more about this here.
If you are interested in attending this screening and Q&A with the Lindesay family, RSVP by sending an email to communications.ras.bj@gmail.com and please write “Wall” in the subject header. Tickets are RMB 75 per person and includes a free drink so that it won’t only be your thirst for knowledge that is quenched by this uniquely enlightening event.
