Brian Linden Presented with Lei Feng Award for Preservation Work in China

Brian Linden

The Linden Gallery, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary, is proud to announce that Brian Linden has been chosen by China’s leading English media as one of the foreigners who best embodies the spirit of sharing in China. The Lei Feng award was named after a Chinese soldier who sacrificed his life to save a village from a runaway truck. In China, Lei Feng is more than just a name. He is hailed as a cultural icon, symbolizing selflessness, modesty and industriousness.

The award states: “Nowhere is the spirit of Chinese national hero Lei Feng better captured than in the life of Brian Linden. Brian, an American from Chicago, has been in China since 1984 and, unlike many foreigners, his interaction with our country has been solely to promote respect and recognition of our culture and traditions. He is not here to change China, introduce outside beliefs or condescendingly tell us what to do. Instead, he has made it his life’s mission to remind China of the importance of its cultural traditions and help package these in an elegant and learning-focused manner to inspire others. The goal is to allow the world to see the traditional beauty of China and the miraculous economic and political changes that have occurred over the past 30 years. Brian believes that these soft power initiatives are integral in softening China’s rise on the world’s stage.”

Brian and Jeanee Linden, whose hotels in China have consistently been ranked among TripAdvisor’s top five properties in China, will be back in Door County in July to celebrate their Ellison Bay gallery’s 20th year.