Burn

3AMERICAN ENTREPRENEURS

Despite its charming docks, beautiful vistas, and great summer sunsets, Chesapeake Bay had a mixed reputation when I arrived in the United States in the early 1990s. Most Americans only considered it serene and peaceful from a distance. Deforestation, overfishing, and industrial runoff in the mid‐Atlantic region had exacted a devastating environmental toll, decreasing the bay's once‐abundant oyster harvests and fish yields and compromising the enjoyment of the place for boaters, kayakers, and frolicking children alike.

In mid‐1996, when I began walking the bay's shores and studying its topography, I fell in love with the natural beauty. On spring days, I enjoyed watching the wind fill the triangular sails of the skipjack boats, powering their V‐shaped hulls over the water as they dredged oysters. On the weekends, I delighted in watching recreational sailors manning a variety of different watercraft, wearing shoes that resembled tan lace‐up slippers, perhaps fishing for rockfish or blue crabs, or simply indulging in the gentle ripples their boats created on the bay's glassy surface.

Chesapeake Bay supplied something I'd always craved, but had trouble finding in China: peace that arises from immersion in nature. Chinese parks and recreational spaces feature ornately planted trees and flowers, pavilions, pagodas, and manufactured islands. Besides a few bridges and tunnels, Chesapeake Bay has remained largely untouched for centuries, giving it a less contrived ...