Mark Kitto is a British entrepreneur, magazine publisher, writer and actor notable for investing and living in the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. During his time in China he initially lived in
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...
before relocating to
Mount Mogan
Mount Mogan or Moganshan () is a mountain located in Deqing County, Huzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, 60 kilometers from the provincial capital Hangzhou and 200 km from Shanghai. It is part of the Moganshan National Park and at its base is t ...
where he ran a coffee shop,
restaurant and three guest houses. In 2013 he announced his intention to leave, citing the welfare of his children as the deciding factor.
Education and early life
After attending a prep school in Wales, Kitto attended Stowe School. Kitto's interest in language and the Far East led him to study Chinese at the
School of Oriental and African Studies
SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury a ...
(SOAS). For the second year of his degree course, he went to Beijing in 1986.
["You’ll never be Chinese]
Why I’m leaving the country I loved." Mark Kitto, Prospect Magazine August 8, 2012 As a student, and in later years, he travelled to most of China’s provinces, and in 1993 he was a member of the first expedition to cross the
Taklamakan Desert
The Taklimakan or Taklamakan Desert (; zh, s=塔克拉玛干沙漠, p=Tǎkèlāmǎgān Shāmò, Xiao'erjing: , dng, Такәламаган Шамә; ug, تەكلىماكان قۇملۇقى, Täklimakan qumluqi; also spelled Taklimakan and T ...
from west to east.
According to Kitto, he first discovered Mount Mogan during the
Lunar New Year in 1999 and returned frequently thereafter.
Professional career
Kitto was a Captain in the
Welsh Guards
The Welsh Guards (WG; cy, Gwarchodlu Cymreig), part of the Guards Division, is one of the Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. It was founded in 1915 as a single-battalion regiment, during the First World War, by Royal Warrant of George V. ...
.
in 1993 he was a member of an expedition to cross the Taklamakan desert on camel.
After leaving the army he became a metals trader in London and then China in 1996.
By 2004, he had set up a foreign joint venture consultancy company, and invested 3m yuan ($350,000) to bring his formula north to the capital by launching the magazine titles ''That’s Beijing'', with a circulation of 20,000, ''That’s Shanghai'' (then 45,000) and ''That’s Guangzhou'' (15,000). The business and the magazines were entirely “self-made,” stated Kitto.
In 2004, after seven years building up his magazine empire, Kitto says it was seized by the state.
He stated, "I lived in the grey zone that is China’s media business and, despite my commitment to the country, paid a high price." Kitto has been a regular contributor to ''
Prospect Magazine'' for the last six years. In his article "You'll never be Chinese", Kitto wrote: "my state-owned competitors (enemy is more accurate) told me in private that they studied every issue I produced so they could learn from me. They proceeded to do everything in their power to destroy me." He expressed his regrets that he could not quite thrive alongside his Communist competitors, and declared that he would not miss China once he left it for good.
He chronicles his time in China and his discovery of Moganshan in his book ''China Cuckoo'' (in the UK) or ''Chasing China: How I Went to China in Search of a Fortune and Found a Life'' (the US edition) .
Kitto now works as an actor, appearing in stage and television productions.
His latest performance is a one man play entitled ''Chinese Boxing'', which he wrote and stars in.
Personal life
In 1997 Kitto met Joanna, a native of Guangzhou through a mutual friend. They married in 2002. Their family now includes two children, Isabel and Tristan. After announcing that he was leaving China he settled in the village of
Fakenham
Fakenham is a market town and civil parish in Norfolk, England. It is situated on the River Wensum, about north west of Norwich. The town is the junction of several local roads, including the A148 from King's Lynn to Cromer, the A1067 to Norw ...
,
[The worst things about Fakenham]
/ref> North Norfolk.
Notes and references
External links and further reading
"You’ll never be Chinese
Why I’m leaving the country I loved." Mark Kitto, Prospect Magazine August 8, 2012
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kitto, Mark
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
British emigrants to China