Walking along the Great Wall is a once-in-a-lifetime dream for many, but Jim Spear has taken it one step 1 , spending the last 18 years living in a village beneath the ancient2 . Spear's interest in China began during college when he took a class taught by a
Chinese 3 . His interest 4 when he met his wife-to-be, Tang, in 1980, and married her two years later. He says that it was 5 that led him to settle beneath the Great Wall. In the 1990s, he and his wife discovered their future home in Mutianyu after a chance to6 Li Fengquan, who tried to sell him a T-shirt.
As an architect, Spear used his expertise to renew his dream house, which came with7 views of the Great Wall. Moreover, the architect explored ways of supporting rural residents. In 8 of his contributions, Spear was given the Great Wall Friendship Award by the Beijing government in 2014.
"The Great Wall 9 me in many ways to this very day," he says when asked if his architectural work 10 inspiration from the impressive structure. However, he stresses that 11 a Great Wall style doesn't mean building defence, but rather that his approach concerns designs that echo(与……有共同特征) the wall, but don't 12 it.
Spear sees plenty of possibilities in China, driven by significant internal demand and a growing focus on 13 historical structures. His love for China is 14 alive. "15 of my heart is in the US and always will be. But the rest is in China and I love living here. I like China," he says.