William Lindesay
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

William Lindesay (born 8 May 1956) is an English author, runner, and conservationist. He is best known for his work in protecting and conserving the
Great Wall of China The Great Wall of China (, literally "ten thousand ''li'' wall") is a series of fortifications that were built across the historical northern borders of ancient Chinese states and Imperial China as protection against various nomadic grou ...
. He first went to China to run on the Great Wall in 1986, making the first documented traverse of the ruins on foot the following year, in 1987, in which he covered 2,470 km. He is a current honorary senior research fellow at
University of Liverpool , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...
, and received the
Royal Society for Asian Affairs The Royal Society for Asian Affairs (RSAA) is a learned society based in London (United Kingdom). Its objective is to advance public knowledge and understanding of Asia through its worldwide networks, its public events, its publications and its s ...
’ Special Award in 2016. Credited with awakening China's national consciousness to protect the Great Wall and its environment, Lindesay was the first person to discover an unmapped section of the Great Wall in the
Gobi Desert The Gobi Desert (Chinese: 戈壁 (沙漠), Mongolian: Говь (ᠭᠣᠪᠢ)) () is a large desert or brushland region in East Asia, and is the sixth largest desert in the world. Geography The Gobi measures from southwest to northeast an ...
, and has served as an official ambassador for Great Wall conservation since 1998 when he received the
Friendship Award The Chinese Government's Friendship Award () is the People's Republic of China's highest award for "foreign experts who have made outstanding contributions to the country's economic and social progress". The award was first established in 1950s, ...
from the People's Republic of China. A member of the Loughry Branch of
Clan Lindsay Clan Lindsay is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Lowlands. History Origins of the clan The Lindsays were prominent in both England and Scotland from the late 11th century. The name most likely derives from the region of Lindsey in England (the n ...
, Lindesay is a descendant of Robert Lindesay of Loughry, a former
High Sheriff of Tyrone The High Sheriff of Tyrone is the Sovereign's judicial representative in County Tyrone. Initially an office for lifetime, assigned by the Sovereign, the High Sheriff became annually appointed from the Provisions of Oxford in 1258. Besides his jud ...
.


Early life and education

Lindesay was born in 1956 at
Wallasey Wallasey () is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England; until 1974, it was part of the historic county of Cheshire. It is situated at the mouth of the River Mersey, at the north-eastern corner of the Wirral Pe ...
, Merseyside, England. He first attended school at St. Aidan's Primary School, and graduated from the University of Liverpool with a Bachelor of Arts in Geography and Geology. After his graduation in 1979, he took his first job as an oil field worker in the
Gulf of Suez The Gulf of Suez ( ar, خليج السويس, khalīǧ as-suwais; formerly , ', "Sea of Calm") is a gulf at the northern end of the Red Sea, to the west of the Sinai Peninsula. Situated to the east of the Sinai Peninsula is the smaller Gulf of ...
. In his early exploration of the Great Wall of China, he decided to run the wall in its entirety, and managed to cover 2,470 km. During this time, he was stopped by police nine times for trespassing, arrested twice, and deported once.


Career

Lindesay is the author and co-author of many
non-fiction Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with be ...
books on the Great Wall of China. These include ''Alone on the Great Wall,'' ''The Great Wall Revisited: From the Jade Gate to Old Dragon's Head,'' ''The Great Wall in 50 Objects'' and others. He has lectured at
Newcastle University Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a UK public university, public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is ...
, the
University of Liverpool , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...
, the
Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...
, and has worked as anchor for ''Expedition Week (Walking the Great Wall)'' on the
National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...
Cable Channel. In 2007, he curated ''The Great Wall Revisited'' exhibition at the Capital Museum in Beijing. In 2012, with the help of a Mongolian geographer and the assistance of the
Mongolian Armed Forces The Mongolian Armed Forces ( mn, Монгол Улсын Зэвсэгт Хүчин; ''Mongol: ulsyn zevsegt hüchin'') is the collective name for the Mongolian military and the joint forces that comprise it. It is tasked with protecting the inde ...
, Lindesay became the first person to discover an unmapped section of the Great Wall hidden in the
Gobi Desert The Gobi Desert (Chinese: 戈壁 (沙漠), Mongolian: Говь (ᠭᠣᠪᠢ)) () is a large desert or brushland region in East Asia, and is the sixth largest desert in the world. Geography The Gobi measures from southwest to northeast an ...
bordering Mongolia and China, an area he had explored extensively since 1997. Carbon dating of his discovery estimated the rammed-earth structure he found to date back to the 11th century, meaning it was likely to have been built by the
Western Xia Dynasty The Western Xia or the Xi Xia (), officially the Great Xia (), also known as the Tangut Empire, and known as ''Mi-nyak''Stein (1972), pp. 70–71. to the Tanguts and Tibetans, was a Tangut-led Buddhist imperial dynasty of China tha ...
(1038–1227). In 2015, during an interview with ''The New York Times'', Lindesay criticized museum curators at the
Vatican Museums The Vatican Museums ( it, Musei Vaticani; la, Musea Vaticana) are the public museums of the Vatican City. They display works from the immense collection amassed by the Catholic Church and the papacy throughout the centuries, including several of ...
for refusing to grant him access to important maps and objects of research for his book, ''The Great Wall in 50 Objects'', despite him raising $25,000 USD of the required funds. He said, "Museums are the best classrooms for knowledge and education, but some curators are like prison wardens, holding the keys, keeping the antiquities imprisoned, not allowing visitors, trying to keep people out." In 2017, he set out to capture the Great Wall in a new way using drone photography, an idea he got from his two sons, for his upcoming book, ''The Great Wall: High Above and Down Below.'' To achieve that, he and his family covered a distance of over 9,320 miles from China to Mongolia, travelling by foot and car. Lindesay founded WildWall in 1987, a company that provides clients with privately guided tours and retreats at the Great Wall. He is a current honorary senior research fellow at
University of Liverpool , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...
.


Awards

Lindesay's contributions to the conservation of the Great Wall and Sino-UK relations have earned him international recognition. In 1998, he was awarded the
Friendship Award The Chinese Government's Friendship Award () is the People's Republic of China's highest award for "foreign experts who have made outstanding contributions to the country's economic and social progress". The award was first established in 1950s, ...
– the highest award for foreign experts who have made outstanding contributions to the country's economic and social progress – by the government of the People's Republic of China for his lifelong work in conserving the Great Wall. He received the medal from former Premier
Zhu Rongji Zhu Rongji (; IPA: ; born 23 October 1928) is a retired Chinese politician who served as Premier of the People's Republic of China from 1998 to 2003 and CCP Politburo Standing Committee member from 1992 to 2002 along with the Chinese Communist ...
. In 2006, Lindesay was included in the ''2006 New Years Honours Diplomatic Service and Overseas List'', and was made an
Officer of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
by
Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...
for services to UK-China understanding and to international conservation of the Great Wall. In 2008, he was named a "Top Ten National Defender of Cultural Heritage" by the Chinese government, and in 2016, he was awarded the Special Award of the
Royal Society for Asian Affairs The Royal Society for Asian Affairs (RSAA) is a learned society based in London (United Kingdom). Its objective is to advance public knowledge and understanding of Asia through its worldwide networks, its public events, its publications and its s ...
in recognition of exceptionally outstanding and unusual achievement in Asia.


Styles and honours

* Mr. William Lindesay (1956-2006) * Mr. William Lindesay
OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(2006-Present)


Reception

Lindesay's books and contributions to conservation have been well received. Writing in ''
The South China Morning Post The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remained ...
,'' author and editor Peter Gordon praised Lindesay's book ''The Great Wall in 50 Objects'' as "a brilliant achievement of alternative history" and a "fascinating and excellently constructed narrative." ''
Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...
'' praised his book ''Alone on the Great Wall'' as "well-written and entertaining" with an "appeal to runners," but also criticized Lindesay for his "right-wing politics."


Personal life

A member of the Loughry Branch of Scottish
Clan Lindsay Clan Lindsay is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Lowlands. History Origins of the clan The Lindsays were prominent in both England and Scotland from the late 11th century. The name most likely derives from the region of Lindsey in England (the n ...
, Lindesay is a descendant of Robert Lindesay of Loughry, a 17th-century
High Sheriff of Tyrone The High Sheriff of Tyrone is the Sovereign's judicial representative in County Tyrone. Initially an office for lifetime, assigned by the Sovereign, the High Sheriff became annually appointed from the Provisions of Oxford in 1258. Besides his jud ...
, Ireland, the great-grandson of Thomas Lindesay, a Lyon Depute at the Court of the
Lord Lyon King of Arms The Right Honourable the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new grant ...
, Edinburgh. He is married to Wu Qi, a Chinese historian who used to teach at Northwest University, China. Together they reside in Beijing, China, and have two children, James Lindesay and Thomas Lindesay.


Works

* ''Alone on the Great Wall''. Fulcrum Publishing: 1991. * ''The Great Wall Revisited: From the Jade Gate to Old Dragon's Head.'' Harvard University Press: 2008. * ''The Great Wall in 50 Objects.'' Penguin Random House: 2015. * ''The Terracotta Army of the First Emperor of China.'' Odyssey Publications: 1999. * ''Beijing.'' Odyssey Publications: 1999. * ''The Great Wall Explained''. China Intercontinental Press: 2012. * ''Marching with Mao: A Biographical Journey.'' Trafalgar Square Publishing: 1995. * ''The Great Wall: High Above and Down Below.'' Odyssey Books Maps: 2021.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lindesay, William Living people
William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
People from Wallasey Officers of the Order of the British Empire Alumni of the University of Liverpool English conservationists 1956 births