FOUNDER STORY
Building bridges across mountains
In the 1990s, Andrew Peters — then a young American — made the first of many journeys to Western China, drawn by the cultural tapestry of the Himalayas. It wasn't only the scenery that held him, but the communities whose languages and traditions had been carried down through generations.
That pull led him to learn Naxi, a Sino-Tibetan language, alongside Mandarin Chinese — not to collect vocabulary, but to build genuine dialogue between Americans and the region's many ethnic groups.
Years later, that work became this foundation. We believe anthropology and archaeology are bridge-building disciplines. By supporting research in these fields we aim to uncover the histories of the peoples and societies of Western China, promote cross-cultural understanding through language study and exchange, and help local communities tell their own stories. We are a community of scientists, explorers, and anyone drawn to connecting cultures — working, one conversation at a time, toward a world where diverse voices are heard and traditions valued.
跨越山脉的桥梁
1990 年代，年轻的美国人 Andrew Peters（和坚）开启了前往中国西部的众多旅程之一，他被喜马拉雅山脉丰富的文化织锦所吸引。让他着迷的不仅仅是壮丽的景色，还有那里代代相传着语言和传统、充满活力的社区。
为了建立联系，和坚学习了纳西语这门藏缅语系语言，同时还学习了中文。这不仅仅是为了学习词汇，而是为了促进美国人民与该地区多元民族群体之间的对话和理解。
多年后，他的愿景演变成了这个基金会。我们相信人类学和考古学是跨文化架桥的关键。通过支持这些领域的学术研究，我们旨在揭开中国西部人民和社会的丰富历史，通过语言学习和文化交流促进跨文化理解，并赋予当地社区分享其故事和观点的权利。我们是由科学家、探险家和任何热衷于跨文化交流的人组成的团体，努力创造一个更加紧密的世界。
