{{Short description|Swiss TV personality (born 1988)}} {{Infobox model | name = Liam Bates | image = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1988|06|28|df=y}} | birth_place = Switzerland | occupation = Entrepreneur, Presenter }}
'''Liam Bates''' ({{zh|c=李牧|p=lǐmù}}) is an entrepreneur, television host and adventurer from Switzerland, born 28 June 1988. Bates' first appearance on Chinese television was during the 2010 Chinese Bridge language contest, in which he received first prize and the eloquence prize. The show aired in front of a TV audience of almost 300 million.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://genevalunch.com/2010/08/09/vaud-youth-wins-eloquence-award-at-chinese-%E2%80%9Camerican-idol%E2%80%9D/ |title=GenevaLunch news » Vaud youth wins eloquence award at Chinese "American Idol" |publisher=Genevalunch.com |date= |accessdate=2013-03-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161111194355/https://genevalunch.com/2010/08/09/vaud-youth-wins-eloquence-award-at-chinese-%e2%80%9camerican-idol%e2%80%9d/ |archive-date=2016-11-11 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Bates has gone on to present TV shows for the Discovery Channel and has founded several companies in China. In 2017, Bates made the Forbes 30 under 30 list.<ref name="forbes.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/30-under-30-asia/2017/consumer-technology/#7843c3792ef8|title=30 Under 30 Asia 2017: Consumer Technology|website=Forbes}}</ref>
==Early life== Liam Bates was born in the canton of Vaud outside Geneva, Switzerland to an American mother and a British-Zimbabwean father. At school he spoke French. He later went on to study Chinese and film at the University of British Columbia in Canada.<ref name="auto">{{cite web |url=http://french.xinhuanet.com/2014-06/30/c_133449028.htm |title=Un aventurier Suisse en Chine |publisher=XinHua |date= |accessdate=2016-10-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202000740/http://french.xinhuanet.com/2014-06/30/c_133449028.htm |archive-date=2017-02-02 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Television career==
Following Bates' Chinese Bridge success, in September 2010 he joined The Travel Channel China as their newest host, where he began a regular travel series filmed throughout the Chinese countryside.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://europe.chinadaily.com.cn/epaper/2011-06/10/content_12670862.htm |title=Way of a warrior |publisher=Europe.chinadaily.com.cn |date=2011-06-10 |accessdate=2013-03-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2011-03/22/content_12206179.htm |title=Road warrior gives thumbs-up to freewheeling hitchhiking |publisher=Chinadaily.com.cn |date=2011-03-22 |accessdate=2013-03-02}}</ref> His first shows focused on rural life in Hunan, Guizhou and other Chinese provinces. Each show had Bates spending a week living with farmers and learning about their local cultures.
In 2011 Bates and 'The Travel Channel China' team spent two weeks in his home country of Switzerland, filming several aspects of Swiss life: chocolate-making, Alpine cowherding and cheese production, Swiss military.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.swisscham.org/bei/pdf/chinese_discover_switzerland_eng.pdf | title=Chinese discover Switzerland through eyes of Swiss youth | date=27 July 2011 | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120710202722/http://www.swisscham.org/bei/pdf/chinese_discover_switzerland_eng.pdf | archivedate=2012-07-10 | type=Press release}}</ref> The resulting television show broke numerous records in China, with the first 30-minute episode registering 1.5 million views on video-sharing website Youku alone.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzAxNjIzNDI0.html |title=跟着老外回家乡第一集 我爱我家 110905—在线播放—《有多远走多远 2011》—综艺—优酷网，视频高清在线观看 |publisher=V.youku.com |date= |accessdate=2013-03-02}}</ref> Bates became more widely known in China than in his home country.
In early 2012 Bates began a new series, ''A Love for Adventure'' (我爱大冒险) and the ''Last Tribe'' (最后的部落). In this show, he travelled around the world seeking out small tribes who have maintained their traditional lifestyles in order to learn their survival techniques.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tv.cntv.cn/video/C11297/52fb4874af503ddd2e87d78c0a4e5c44 |title=《有多远走多远》 20130717 最后的部落 |publisher=tv.cntv.cn |date= |accessdate=2016-10-17}}</ref> In 2016 Bates completed filming of a new series for the Discovery Channel, "Expedition X: Silk Road Rising".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/denise-keller-adventurer-liam-bates-073500739.html |title=Denise Keller and Adventurer Liam Bates Discover What Defines China's Ancient Silk Road Today, on Expedition X: Silk Road Risign |publisher=Yahoo Finance |date= |accessdate=2016-10-30}}</ref>
==Entrepreneur==
Bates started his first company in 2006 at 17 years old, Beijing-based Bridges to China.<ref name="auto"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bridgestochina.com/index.php?page=about |title=Learn martial arts and kung fu in China |publisher=Bridges to China |date= |accessdate=2016-10-17}}</ref> In 2014 Bates co-founded Kaiterra (formerly Origins Technology<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thebeijinger.com/blog/2017/04/14/origins-ofo-and-other-beijing-startup-stars-make-forbes-30-under-30-asia-list|title=Laser Egg's Creators Make Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia List; Rebrand as Kaiterra|first=Kyle|last=Mullin|date=14 April 2017|website=www.thebeijinger.com}}</ref>), a startup that develops IoT hardware and software products to measure global air quality and pollution levels.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://technode.com/2016/04/07/manufacturing-hardware-in-china-from-scratch-as-an-expat-qa-with-liam-bates-co-founder-of-origins-technology/ |title=Manufacturing hardware in China from scratch as an Expat - QA with Liam Bates, co-founder of Origins Technology |publisher=Tech in Asia |date= |accessdate=2016-10-17}}</ref> In April 2016, Kaiterra's consumer air quality monitor, the Laser Egg, entered the Apple Stores across China.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-gadgets-help-pollution-weary-chinese-breathe-easier-1460919605 |title=New Gadgets Help Pollution Weary Chinese Breathe Easier |publisher=The Wall Street Journal |date= |accessdate=2016-10-17}}</ref> In 2017, Bates and Kaiterra co-founder Jessica Lam were selected for the Forbes 30 under 30 list.<ref name="forbes.com"/>
==Hangzhou Ambassador==
In May 2013 Bates was officially appointed tourism ambassador to the Chinese city of Hangzhou. Bates was awarded a $55,000/year contract to regularly visit and explore Hangzhou, sharing his experiences on social media under the title of the 'Modern Marco Polo'. This made him the first foreigner ever to be appointed by China's government in such an official role.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/business/travel/modern-day-marco-polo-hangzhou-china-n109921 |title=Modern-Day Marco Polo for Hangzhou, China |publisher=NBC NEWS |accessdate=2014-11-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205044658/https://www.nbcnews.com/business/travel/modern-day-marco-polo-hangzhou-china-n109921 |archive-date=December 5, 2014 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
==Xiangsheng==
Bates was formally invited to begin the study of ''xiangsheng'' (a traditional form of "crosstalk" comedy) by famous Chinese comedian Ding Guangquan after his success in the Chinese Bridge contest.<ref>{{cite web|author=Justine |url=http://french.china.org.cn/culture/txt/2012-04/25/content_25229471.htm |title=La modernisation du xiangsheng pourrait favoriser sa renaissance |publisher=French.china.org.cn |date=2012-04-25 |accessdate=2013-03-02}}</ref> In February 2012, in a traditional ceremony at the Confucius Institute, University of Hawaii, he was formally accepted into the xiangsheng hierarchy when he took Ding Guangquan to be his Shifu.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://confuciusinstitutehawaii.org/upcoming-events/past-events/xiangsheng-comic-dialogue-festival-with-master-ding-guangquan/ |title=» Xiangsheng (comic dialogue) festival with Master Ding Guangquan |publisher=Confuciusinstitutehawaii.org |accessdate=2013-03-02 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130423053126/http://confuciusinstitutehawaii.org/upcoming-events/past-events/xiangsheng-comic-dialogue-festival-with-master-ding-guangquan/ |archivedate=2013-04-23 }}</ref> Today ''xiangsheng'' is still a large part of Bates' work, and he performs regularly on China Central Television.
==Other work==
Bates became known publicly through Chinese Bridge and his travel shows, but he gradually expanded into other activities, including hosting live events and leading outdoors/survival courses. His popularity as a performer and foreign personality on Chinese television has grown steadily: his Chinese microblog has grown to tens of thousands of registered followers in just two years.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://europe.chinadaily.com.cn/epaper/2011-04/22/content_12376555.htm |title=Information flow draws more people to weibo |publisher=Europe.chinadaily.com.cn |date= |accessdate=2013-03-02}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist|2}}
==External links== *{{official website|http://www.li-mu.com|Liam Bates official homepage}} *{{weibo|id=ruishilimu|name=Bates' micro-blog}} *[http://i.youku.com/u/UNDkzODcwOTQ0 Bates' outdoors channel] on Youku
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bates, Liam}} Category:1988 births Category:People from Vaud Category:Swiss performance artists Category:Chinese television presenters Category:Swiss television personalities Category:Living people Category:Swiss businesspeople Category:University of British Columbia alumni Category:Swiss expatriates in Canada Category:Swiss expatriates in China