Damian Harper

Damian first arrived in Beijing in 1992 via a degree in Chinese from London's School of Oriental African Studies. Since then he has shacked up in a sIheyuan (courtyard house), worked as a Beijing Radio presenter, lived in Shanghai, wrestled with the Cantonese dialect in Hong Kong, chewed the fat with Shaolin monks and knocked back bags of beer in Qingdao. Married to an outstanding Shandong lass, Damian has been authoring for Lonely Planet for over 12 years, exploring China with a constant swarm of deadlines (Beijing, China, China's Southwest, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Lonely Planet's Best in Travel) in pursuit.