Wade Shepard

Wade Shepard is an itinerant writer and filmmaker who has been traveling the world since 1999, through 90 countries. He grew up between Rochester and Buffalo in Western New York State, at the heart of the infamous Rust Belt - a place that knows ghost cities well. He has made his living as an archaeologist, a geographical researcher, a journalist, a farmhand and an independent blogger. In 2005, he ended up in China for the first time, and he hasn't been able to fully shake the country yet. Wade is a columnist at Forbes, a regular contributor to The Guardian, and his work also appears in other major Asia-focused publications, such as The Diplomat, the South China Morning Post, and China Daily. He blogs at Vagabondjourney.com. For more about the New Silk Road, visit: OnTheNewSilkRoad.com.