Beijing Camino International Cultural Exchange Center (BCC) was founded in May 2017 in Beijing by Chinese and Spanish friends passionate about the Camino de Santiago. The mission of BCC is to “promote the Camino, serve pilgrims, and foster intercultural exchange between China and Spain”. Promotion of Jacobean culture and service of pilgrims are philosophies embraced by global Jacobean organizations known as “Associations of Camino Friends”
BCC is a member of the international network of hundreds of Associations of Camino Friends, managed by Plan Xacobeo of the Xunta de Galicia, and stands for the only such organization in mainland China. Plan Xacobeo has long dedicated itself to promoting the Jacobean culture and the development of Camino Friends associations worldwide. Since 2019, with the support of the grants tendered by those platforms, BCC organized multiple Camino sharing conferences in different Chinese cities, translated the Buen Camino guide APP into Chinese, published a bilingual book on the Camino and Chinese Classics (Spanish-Chinese), and held some Jacobean exhibitions around China. Since its founding, BCC also collaborated with the Delegation of the European Union in China, the Cervantes Institute, TurEspaña, Correos, the Pilgrim Office, Buen Camino Publishing House, the Federation of the Spanish Camino Friends’ Associations, Desti Youth Park youth hostals and some Chinese universities in its promotional effort. To learn more about past activities please check out the following link: https://caminochina.com/history/
As an association of Camino Friends representing Chinese pilgrims from mainland China, BCC dedicates itself in the provision of Jacobean information and the promotion of Jacobean culture through a variety of platforms such as website, WeChat official account, WeChat Channels, translated APP guides, and route conferences of the Camino de Santiago. Besides that, BCC serves Chinese pilgrims through selling authorized pilgrim credentials, managing WeChat groups and Rednote account, and offline gatherings. BCC also engages in research projects, publications, lectures, exhibitions, international excursions, volunteering in the Pilgrim Office and hospitaleros in albergues along various routes on the Camino to achieve its mission of fostering intercultural exchange between China and Spain. All services that BCC provides rely on dedicated volunteers. We welcome individuals committed to the mission to join the volunteer team! For more information:http://caminochina.com/?cat=12
FOUNDERS
Zhang Ke Cofounder
“I did my first Camino de Santiago in 2014, and fell ‘irrevocably’ in love with it, because I experienced in those weeks something of unparalleled beauty and purity. It awakened a modest calling in my heart: I wanted more fellow Chinese to learn about the Camino and experience it.”
Her inspiration found full support in her friend, Spanish pilgrim Ignacio Ramos Riera. They worked together in 2015 to create the first WeChat official account in Chinese for the Camino, provided practical information on different routes, visa, packing list, transportation, and accommodation. In 2017 they met another Chinese pilgrim Wei Yue. The trio gathered in Mount Song to share their common vision. After their ‘Alliance on Mount Song’ they decided to establish an “Association of Camino Friends in China”, formally named ‘Beijing Camino International Cultural Exchange Center’, with a mission to “promote the Camino, serve the pilgrims, and foster intercultural exchange between China and Spain. In 2018, Chang Huiling, another pilgrim inspired by the same flame of heart joined the team.
Zhang Ke was sent by the association to Spain in 2019 to seek collaboration with various Jacobean institutions. During her Ph.D studies in Spain, she collaborated with her fellow researchers to conduct in-depth studies on “experiences of Chinese pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago” and “cultural route heritage in China”, publishing three first-author academic papers in international core journals. She accompanied Chinese students on the Camino multiple times, and upon returning to China after graduation in 2022, continued to serve the Association and pilgrims alongside the team and volunteers, advancing the Jacobean activities and mission with unwavering dedication.
Ignacio RAMOS RIERA Cofounder
“I did my first Compostelan route with some friends when I was 16 years old, starting in Sobrado dos Monxes. I discovered that it is a space of discovery and encounter. When I was 21, I made a personalized Camino from Leon to Santiago through the regions of Luna and Los Ancares, relying on the kindness of strangers on the way, following the examples of medieval pilgrims. After that I started trying to walk a section of the Camino almost each year. In 2014, I walked the Camino with a Chinese pilgrim for the first time, and found out that the Camino had a great potential to foster peace and intercultural communication. Then I decided to promote this cultural heritage of ‘the route of the heart’ together with friends from that great nation!”
In 2015 Ignacio and Ke created a WeChat official account about the Camino de Santiago in Chinese to serve Chinese walkers who desired to walk the Camino. After encountering with Mr. Wei Yue in Beijing in 2017, a trip to climb Mount Song together was arranged and the ‘Mount Song Covenant’ was made on March 25, 2017 to promote the Jacobean culture by establishing an association. Two months later the ‘Beijing Camino International Cultural Exchange Center’ (BCC) was born, and a Jacobean sharing salon was organized, in collaboration with the Beijing Cervantes Institute. In this activity the team met with Ms. Chang Huiling who felt passion about the Camino and officially joined the core team in the following year.
On June 4th 2017, BCC organized its first Camino conference in the Beijing Cervantes Institute, and on August 11th 2018, a sharing forum of Chinese Camino pilgrims in the same venue. Since the beginning BCC explored the possibility of collaborating with Plan Xacobeo office of the Xunta de Galicia. With the great support of Plan Xacobeo the association was able to organize multiple wonderful Jacobean events in China. During 2019-2020, BCC won a call for tenders launched by the Delegation of the EU to China, to run ‘A Jouney of Encounters – Exhibition of the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe’ in different Chinese cities; during 2020-2022, BCC accompanied different rounds of Chinese university students Camino trips in Spain and translated the Camino APP guide into Chinese in cooperation with Buen Camino Editorial; from 2023 until today BCC also organized many Jacobean sharing salons, cultural exhibitions, publications, training and sending volunteers in China and Spain, together with different friends and volunteers.
WEI Yue Cofounder
“In 2014, when I was still working as a senior outdoor coach, a close friend who settled in Spain extended an invitation: ‘Would you like to walk the Camino de Santiago with me?’ This was my first encounter with the Camino. My friend promptly passed to me a detailed guidebook. During my pre-Camino research, I was deeply moved by the film The Way – especially by the lonely Cruz de Ferro in the movie, which left an indelible mark in my heart. However, my friend’s plans changed later, dashing my expectations. Whenever I talked with my fiancée about doing the Camino alone, the apprehension of the unknown held me back – until one day, we both suggested spontaneously: ‘Why not make the Camino our honeymoon?’ This flash of inspiration led us to start the French Way in October 2015, completing an 800km honeymoon trek.
Upon returning to China, though we enthusiastically shared our Camino stories with friends, kindred spirits were hard to find. That changed when we discovered by chance a WeChat official account about the Camino de Santiago and got in contact with its operators, Zhang Ke and Tachi. I still remember my first meeting with Tachi at the University of International Business and Economics – we poured over every detail of the Camino over coffee, the joy of finding kindred souls was so unforgettable. Though meeting Ke in person came later, our discussions about the Camino never ceased since then. My wandering heart finally found a place to belong. Eager to get more people to know about the Camino and share its unique spiritual gifts with others, we decided to formally establish an association of Camino friends in China.
The birth of this association was less a call of duty than a twist of fate. In 2017, when the association was just created, I was entrusted to lead the first group of four pilgrims to walk the last 100 kilometers of the French Way. Witnessing their transformation along the journey, I grasped the meaning of ‘serving pilgrims’—an experience as precious as my first Camino, yet entirely different.
Over the years, as the fame of the Camino in China has grown, we’ve seen not only promotions from Spanish tourism authorities and Chinese commercial enterprises, but also the perseverance of our association. Challenges and doubts arose, but Tachi’s cultural integrity, Ke’s meticulous care, and Huiling’s professionalism have steered us steadily toward our mission, making the team a treasure beyond measure. Whenever we revisit our mission – ‘to promote the Camino, serve pilgrims, and foster Sino-Spanish cultural exchange’, every effort gains profound meaning. Along this path, we have never forgotten why we began.’
CHANG Huiling Cofounder
“In 2012, I first encountered the Camino de Santiago through the film The Way, deeply moved by its narrative; in 2016, after completing the last 110 kilometers of the French Way and immersing myself in Spanish culture, my interest burgeoned into a profound passion.”
During my studies at the Cervantes Institute in Beijing, I met Wei Yue, Tachi, and Ke – the founders of Beijing Camino International Cultural Exchange Center (BCC). United by kindred spirits and shared ideals, I joined the core team, working together in the development of China’s association of Camino Friends.
As a core team member, I have overseen the operation of the Camino’s WeChat official account since 2018, continuously updating it to provide Chinese pilgrims with comprehensive information about the Way. From 2019 to 2020, I participated in planning and executing the “An Encounter on a Journey across Time and Space — Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe Exhibition” at the Changchun and Beijing stops. Through exhibitions, sharing sessions, lectures, and interactive exchanges, we introduced the history and spirit of the Camino de Santiago and other European cultural routes to China, fostering Sino-Spanish cultural exchange. The events drew enthusiastic responses, captivating numerous attendees.
Like the patterns of a seashell polished by time, the Association’s footprint has expanded steadily, deepening the inheritance of Camino’s spirit with each passing year.
SERVICE CONTENT
To fulfill its mission of ‘promoting the Camino, serving pilgrims, and fostering intercultural exchange between China and Spain’, the Chinese association of Camino friends carries out the following services through the joint efforts of volunteers:
1.Information
We provide practical information about the Camino, such as Chinese pilgrim statistics, route guides, visa, transportation, accommodation, packing, and Jacobean traditions. Information is shared through multiple platforms including website, WeChat official account, WeChat groups, video channels, Rednote, online and offline sessions. The most updated information often come from ‘senior pilgrims’ in WeChat groups and those who are on the Camino at the moment sharing real-time experiences.
Another core service is issuing pilgrim credentials, commonly known as “pilgrim passports.” Our association also offers exclusive souvenirs like scallop shells, badges, and T-shirts. For details please click:
(link)
3.Volunteering
The Association recruits, trains, and sends volunteers annually for both internal and external services. Internal services include managing information platforms and organizing offline Jacobrean events. External volunteering include serving at the Pilgrim Office and pilgrim albergues as hospitaleros.
For more information please click the following link:
The Association independently or collaboratively organizes offline gatherings for Camino friends, providing a space for new and returning pilgrims to connect, exchange insights, and reignite their Camino passion. When feasible, cultural events like lectures and art exhibitions are held to showcase Chinese pilgrims’ enthusiasm, inspiration and talents.
Following the teachings of Chinese proverbs, “To see once exceeds a hundred hearings”, “Read ten thousand books, walk ten thousand miles”, the Association make efforts to organize annually two-way intercultural excursions, including accompanying Chinese pilgrims to do the Camino in Spain and accompanying Spanish-speakers to experience China’s historical heritage, local culture, engaging in exchange with local individuals and institutions, enhancing mutual understanding, promoting peace and developing friendship.
(link)
6.Research and publication
Over the past years, the Association has collaborated with Spanish scholars to conduct academic research and publications on topics such as Chinese pilgrims’ experiences on the Camino de Santiago and China’s cultural route heritage. These efforts have made unique contributions to the scientific knowledge accumulation of phenomena such as the Camino de Santiago, cultural route heritage, heritage tourism, and intercultural exchange. The Association will continue to invest in related research in the future and welcome scholars from home and abroad who are interested in Camino-related topics to join the research. Those who wish to join can contact us via email.
In addition, the Association published a book in 2023, which interprets the Camino de Santiago through the wisdom of Chinese classics on “roads,” “walking,” and “travel,” as well as uses Spanish proverbs to explain China’s natural landscapes and cultural heritage. Bilingual in Chinese and Spanish, the book is accompanied by numerous wonderful photos taken by Chinese pilgrims, showcasing the charm of the Camino through the eyes of Chinese pilgrims.
The Association has also edited and printed a collection of Chinese pilgrim stories, featuring 120 stories shared by 60 Chinese pilgrims. From different perspectives such as why they embarked on the Camino, intercultural experiences, their companions, inner reflections, and the value of the Camino, the stories present the authors’ personal experiences and reflections.
HISTORY
The journey we have walked…
Creation of the WeChat Official account about the Camino de Santiago
Launching of the website www.buencamino.org (until 2022)
Founding of ‘Beijing Camino International Cultural Exchange Center’ (Beijing)
Promotional event of the Camino in collaboration with the Cervantes Institute (Beijing)
Camino sharing forum in collaboration with the Cervantes Institute (Beijing)
Twinning with the Camino Friends’ Association in Madrid (Madrid)
Undertaking a touring exhibition on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe sponsored by the Delegation of the European Union to China
(Changchun Municipal Library, Embassy of the Delegation of the EU to China, Danish Cultural Institute, Gothe Institute)
Gathering of Camino friends and promotional conference (Beijing)
Translation of the APP guide of major routes of the Camino into Chinese in collaboration with Buen Camino Publishing House
Gathering of Camino friends (online)
Completion of Chinese pilgrim stories The Echos of the Orient (in Chinese)
Recruiting, training and sending volunteers to serve in the Pilgrim Office and pilgrim hostels in collaboration with the Pilgrim Office and fellow Camino Friends Associations in Spain
Participating in the International Assembly of the Camino Friends Associations (Galicia)
Publication of Between Two Boundaries – A Road of Encounter between the Eastern and Western Traditions (in Chinese and Spanish)
Creation of Rednote account ‘Camino Friends’
Promotional events and gatherings of Camino friends in Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Xi’an
Creation of BCC Wechat Channels’ account
Translation of pilgrim baggage transport service guide to Chinese in collaboration with Correos (Spain)
Exhibitions of ‘Between the Two Boundaries’ in collaboration with Jilin University, Beijing Harrow School, Beijing Cervantes Institute, TourEspaña, Desti Youth Park in Chengdu and Xi’an
