Guides of our community
Our guide team members, although each busy with their own pursuits—such as Honghong preparing cold dishes, Xiaojing being a photographer, Aruna doing baking, Wanwan being a makeup artist, Xiaochun running a whisky bar, Yanzi selling books and fabric at “March Street”, Guo Ying doing pottery, Xiao Li being a surf coach and chef, and Huanhuan running the restaurant "Huanque"—all share a love for nature and travel, and are down-to-earth, willing to share their experiences.
Our team members are not professional tour guides before, but this is part of their charm. They each have distinct personal qualities and unique life paths. Our activities are not focused on intense outdoor adventures, as our purpose comes from sharing the local culture and nature we love. We hope that by joining our trips, you can experience the personal traits and lifestyles of our colorful team members. They are very different from each other, yet share common traits: simplicity, friendliness, and sincerity.
Jason, Funder of “Dali Experience Community", originally from Shanghai, has lived in Dali for twelve years. When he first arrived in Dali, he ran a "midnight diner" for many years. With over 20 years of outdoor hiking, camping, and travel experience, he has cycled the Sichuan-Tibet line and swum across Erhai Lake. He became familiar with the hiking routes of Cangshan and the surrounding natural landscapes due to his love for the mountains and rivers. After recovering from an injury, he has mainly focused on public platform development but still occasionally leads groups. He can communicate in English.
Liangzi | Jason‘s 10 years in Dali
Jason | “「Zayaa Cafe」 and 「Mountain Nature Studio」”
Honghong, a Shanghai native who moved to Dali ten years ago, is warm and sincere, loves learning, and is independent-minded. She is energetic, has wide-ranging interests, and is a crossfit enthusiast. She has taught many people how to swim and ran the "Fish & Chips" restaurant in Dali for years, in addition to organizing cold dish events. She mainly leads light hiking and in-depth travel activities. She can lead groups in English. In the past year, she frequently traveled to lead summer camps across the country, focusing on logistics. This has been both a learning experience and a personal challenge for her.
Jason | “an unusal cold buffet"
Honghong | “3 restaurants i have opened”
Cai Feng, originally from Fujian, has lived in Dali for ten years. He has a gentle personality and was once the second manager of our midnight diner, known for his garlic fried chicken. He previously ran a ramen restaurant called "Cai Feng's Ramen" and is an IT enthusiast, providing technical support for our circle. He mainly leads light hikes, long-distance treks, and in-depth travel.
Caifeng | "Old Songs,Time and Love"
Xiaochun | “Caifeng and Xiaoshuang”
Michael, from Qingyuan, Guangdong, is the owner of "Hangu Inn" and has lived in Dali for more than ten years. He has a warm and friendly nature, always sincere towards others. He primarily leads paddleboarding and camping activities. Due to running his inn, he is often busy, especially during the summer when he steps in to help during peak times.
Jing, from Hunan, moved to Dali five years ago. A photographer with a unique aesthetic, he runs his own personal photography business. He is also passionate about forest picking, especially harvesting wild berries, wild vegetables, and mushrooms in Cangshan during different seasons. He enjoys painting and creating pottery, and he also does tattoos for friends. He leads photography, mushroom picking, pine nut gathering, wild vegetable harvesting, and indigo dyeing activities. He has formed a mushroom-picking group and frequently exchanges knowledge with mushroom enthusiasts from across the country.
Jing | Deep Mountain Mushroom Picking
Xiao Li (Xiao L), from Eryuan, Dali, is the youngest member of our group, born in the 2000s. He was once a chef at several well-known Western restaurants in the area (such as "Moon" and "Pushi"). He loves outdoor activities like hiking, camping, and paddleboarding, and is energetic and youthful. He mainly leads forest hiking, camping, and paddleboarding activities. After returning from Hainan where he worked as a surf instructor, he now oversees the paddleboarding group, known for his lively, yet approachable, steady, and meticulous nature—traits uncommon for someone his age. He also leads summer activities such as plum-picking and plum wine-making.
XiaoLi | “Fengyu Countryside Market”
Chen bali, from Yueyang, Hunan, is a good friend of Lao Li. Initially, Lao Li called him for help when he couldn't manage everything, and later, even when things weren't so busy, he enjoyed joining in. Every summer, after performing a backflip dive, Lao Li would call him "Showy Bag." When Lao Li was just starting out, selling on the streets of Dali Ancient City in his teens, Chen Paris was the street boss who looked out for him for many years, and they later became good friends. He is the most "street-smart" leader among us, but in fact, he can also settle down and focus. He loves learning, works tirelessly, has strong execution skills, and most of the aerial shots we fancy come from his hands. After MRS saw the sample clips, they also asked him to film a challenging rafting activity, and he meticulously did it. His sample clips link is at the bottom of the WeChat Mini Program homepage, and you are welcome to contact him for event recording shoots.
**Xiaochun**, from Xingtai, Hebei. He is now the owner of Chunlu Tavern. A founding partner of the Midnight Canteen, he is witty and sincere. He mainly leads activities like creek hiking, mountain sunsets, and camping. Artistic and humorous, he wrote a folk song in his youth that many guests have heard.
Xiaochun & Jason | “Old times · Raining Season in Dali”
**Yan Zi**, from Fujian. Elegant and handsome. Has a strong interest in plants, history, and culture, and is warm and sincere with others. She often sets up a stall at various markets selling handmade crafts. You can find her at the March Street Market. She mainly leads activities such as mushroom foraging, pinecone collecting, and creek dyeing. She is already an experienced mushroom forager, and many guests love her deeply. This year, she has been driving her van around. Her WeChat Official Account: **Yan Zi and Two Dots**.
**Cangshan's Other Side**
**Wang Yue (Tianqiao Frank)**, from Xi'an, Shaanxi. Rich in cultural and historical readings. Ten years ago, he lived in a youth hostel utopia with Xiaochun and other young people. Later, he ventured into business, opening several indigo-dyeing stores. Now, he has settled down with a family. He still maintains his emotional side and is willing to share and communicate. Main activities: Mountain sunsets, mid-distance hikes. He continues to delve deeply into historical readings and strives to balance outdoor activities, reading, and family life. Recently, he has developed a strong interest in Persian culture. Inspired by Dr. Zhang Zhan, he began learning Persian, reading Persian history and culture, and plans to open a travel line to Iran once he gains deeper knowledge. His WeChat Official Account: **A Gaozu: Babylonian Prisoner**.
**Off-season**
**Persian Five Capitals Travelogue (Part 1)**
**He Chen**, from Xi'an, Shaanxi. He was once not good at socializing but is now eloquent and sincere. When he was younger, he traveled long distances by bicycle in China and abroad in a frugal way. He managed the Midnight Canteen for many years. He loves strange music, and his unique style in shooting and editing activity videos stands out. Main activities: Responsible for camping and creek hiking groups. According to guests, he can discuss a wide range of cultures and ethnic histories during trips and takes meticulous care of others.
**Zayaa | Our Past, Present, and Future**
**Jingshan**, from Beijing. We all came to Dali in 2012. She and Cheng Chang opened a café, and I worked at the Midnight Canteen in the evenings. Later, they opened the Xunguang Farm. Now, she is dedicated to pottery making and founded Jingshan Pottery Studio. Guo Ying studied fine arts and applies it to pottery painting. Main activities: Jingshan pottery, stone painting by streams, light hiking, and dyeing. During the off-season, she continues to deepen her pottery studies and is now able to use more and more forms of pottery. Foreign languages: English.
**Jingshan | Together with Things I Love**
**Wang Wang**, from Zhejiang. Gentle, introverted, and simple in personality, with a reading habit, he enjoys long-distance hiking. So he mainly leads medium and long-distance hikes, fern forests, and the pilgrimage route to Jizushan. He enjoys taking fewer guests and has recently developed a keen interest in Cangshan plants. He is currently the lead guide for the hiking group. Over time, he has opened more and more diverse hiking routes, the latest being a trek in Meixi Gorge. Foreign languages: Korean, English.
**Wang Wang | The Boy and Me**
**Aruna**, from Horqin Right Wing Middle Banner, Inner Mongolia. She rides motorcycles, runs a road coffee stand, and bakes in her restaurant. She is a free-spirited, kind, enthusiastic, innocent, and independent girl. When you see her working, she is full of energy and focus, with a strong influence on others. Guests call her "Aruna, the one who can do everything." She drives a white camper van. Main activities: Bagel making and baking, camping, creek hiking, light hiking in Cangshan, Eryuan countryside, and Huoshan. She speaks Mongolian and English.
**Zayaa | Aruna, About Zayaa and Our Life**
**A Tu**, from Inner Mongolia. A star-gazing engineer. Professional, straightforward, and energetic. He has an extraordinary passion for the stars and is skilled at it. Main activity: Stargazing. He is the first guide we met through activities and has gained mutual recognition over time. In his early years, he studied finance in college, unsuccessfully raised pigs, and ran a restaurant. Now, he has found his true love in stargazing and made it the core of his life. He founded his own stargazing organization: S&E Seven Stars Stargazing.
**Dà Yáng Yáng | Stargazing in Dali, Filmed a Documentary**
A documentary about **A Tu**.
**Xiaoxi**, from Wuwei, Gansu. A long-time companion when He Chen ran the Midnight Canteen. She is innocent and meticulous, which makes her enjoy playing with children. Now, she mainly leads creek hiking and medium-to-long-distance hiking.
**Yang Min (Yang Mi)**, from Zhumadian, Henan. After meeting Yang Mi, Xiaojing felt that her simplicity and innocence could deeply move people and make them reflect on themselves. She is gentle but has clear opinions. She also makes pottery as a hobby, just in the corner of her rented room, with her teacher being a master from Jingtian Village. Guests say that when she explains plants, "she holds them gently, like treasures." Main activities: Mushroom foraging, dyeing, fern forests.
**Wan Wan**, from Wuxian, Dali. A photographer and makeup artist, Wan Wan collaborates with Xiaojing. She often helps with many extra tasks and is willing to consider others. So when the mushroom foraging group needed extra hands, Xiaojing invited her to join. Wan Wan is kind, meticulous, and simple, and guest Xiaolin commented, "Wan Wan gives 360-degree safety." Main activities: Mushroom foraging, dyeing.
**Li Zhenhao (Sai)**, from Enshi, Hubei. She used to work in children's education and managed her own summer camp, "Sai's Traveling Activity Group." She is passionate, capable, and sincere. A member of the foraging group. She drives her green van "Asai" with elegance. Main activities: Mushroom foraging, dyeing, Eryuan, Huoshan, and light hiking. During the rainy season, she foraged many mushrooms, and in autumn and winter, due to her interest, she made many plant specimens, which turned out to be very popular, especially the mushroom lamps she made. Recently, she established her own "Shanxia Nature Studio" in Xiacun, Wuwei Temple, with plants and fruits collected from various parts of Yunnan.
**Li Zhenhao | I Love Making Mushroom Boxes**
**Li Zhenhao | Records of Returning to Dali Practice**
**Da Yang Yang**, from Enshi, Hubei. A long-time old friend of Xiaojing, who took care of her when she was younger. Passionate and bright, with style. A member of the foraging group. She runs her own tea business and has deeply studied tea and tea culture. Main activities: Mushroom foraging, dyeing.
**Chunyu**, from Northeast China. He has been keeping bees for 20 years as his livelihood. Guests trust him because he is simple and honest. Xiaochun met him a few years ago at the March Street market, where he was selling honey, leaving a deep impression. This year, we started bee-keeping experiences with him, and unexpectedly, he is also a great teacher. His lessons are heartfelt and well-spoken, and the course is highly popular. Perhaps besides continuing beekeeping, explaining the world of bees is a perfect fit for him. He continues to record his "Beekeeping Diary" with simple, detailed language. Main activity: Beekeeping experience. Because of his personality, Chunyu doesn't advertise his activities; they are recommended by guests who have greatly benefited from his knowledge and find him to be a good person. Recently, when I met Xiaojun from Muye Campground, I mentioned Chunyu, and he said, "The long-haired Chunyu," guessing that most guests wouldn't connect the current Chunyu with the one they saw before. His latest plan
is to explore honey cultivation around the world.