This article presents an interview with Professor Gui Shichun, a well-known figure in the academic field in China. Professor Shichun is credited with being the first scholar who introduced applied linguistics studies into China. He has established several other records of "the first in China," hence has long been called "the brave pioneering explorer" in his field in his country. He also established and held the first national symposium on applied linguistics and English teaching in 1980 and the first international symposium on foreign language teaching in China in 1985. Further, in 1978, he also started advocating the application of international mainstream language testing theories and established the nation-wide English Proficiency Test (EPT) in China. Over the years, he has supervised many MA students as well as Ph.D. students who are now very active in the field of language testing and applied linguistics. In the interview, Professor Shichun talks about his career history and shares his experience that made him switch to applied linguistics. (Contains 2 footnotes.)