Green Travel and Fresh Local Cuisine

We are joined by Lulu Zhou: with a natural love and curiosity for nature since childhood, she has been traveling throughout the China, oftentimes off the beaten track whenever her "student budget" allowed. After obtaining her bachelor's degree in tourism management in China, she went to the United States for advanced study, majoring in conservation social sciences. In 2007, she received her master’s degree in science from the University of Idaho with an emphasis on parks and protected area planning and resource recreation management. It was later in Washington, D.C. at the United Nations Foundation that she truly broadened her horizons through working in the sustainable development arena.She returned to China in 2008 as an Ecotourism Fellow with The Nature Conservancy China Program. She is now responsible for sustainable tourism and environmental education projects in the Three Parallel Rivers World Heritage site in northwestern Yunnan Province.

Mei Zhang is Founder of WildChina, a premium sustainable travel company offering distinctive, ecologically sensitive journeys to all corners of China. A native of Yunnan Province in southwest China, Mei was inspired to start her own business in 2000 while serving as a consultant to The Nature Conservancy in China. Applying the knowledge and skills from her consulting years at McKinsey & Company, she has transformed WildChina into a successful business with over thirty employees and offices in Beijing and the United States. Her passion for travel and familiarity with the consulting industry means she is acutely aware of the needs of the business and educational travel community. Mei was selected as a 2009 A-List Top Travel Agent by Travel + Leisure. She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.