Liam Bates (Chinese: 李牧; pinyin: lǐmù) is an entrepreneur, television host and adventurer from Switzerland, born 28 June 1988.

[6] 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.

[3][10] In 2014 Bates co-founded Kaiterra (formerly Origins Technology[11]), a startup that develops IoT hardware and software products to measure global air quality and pollution levels.

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'.

[15] 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.

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.