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By Ziying, The Star/ANN | Wed, Oct 21 2009

The contrast between group tour leaders and China’s guides can be startling.

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THE other day I met up with some ex-neighbours who returned from a tour of Guilin not so long ago. Never having been to Guangxi myself, I was keen to hear about their trip and we sat down for a casual lunch to exchange travel stories.

To say that the couple was enthusiastic would be an understatement. They raved about the trip – the perfect weather in autumn, the evening boat-ride on a lake and most of all, the Guangxi guide whose praises they sang repeatedly. She was competent; she was knowledgeable; she went out of her way to please.

As elated as they were about their tour and the China guide, my ex-neighbours were equally vocal about their displeasure with the Malaysian tour leader whom they described as unkempt and unshaven, turning up in a crumpled T-shirt and rubber flip-flops and looking as if he had just gotten out of bed. They said he was rude and disinterested and even came late to KLIA.

I had to laugh at this couple’s story as it echoed my own experiences with some of the tour leaders I have encountered.

There was one our group nicknamed “the photographer” as he was loaded down with cameras and all sorts of photographic equipment, disappearing to take pictures whenever we alighted at a scenic spot or historical site.

Being clueless about the places on our itinerary, he spent most of the time snoozing at the back of the bus. In fact he was so focused on enjoying the tour that he left me and my elderly father at Datong’s Yungang Grottoes while he dashed off to the coach with the rest.

Abandoned, we stood on a freezing, blustery street corner for 30 minutes before he finally discovered our absence and came to look for us. And no, there was no apology either.

Another tour leader I shall never forget is one who accompanied us on my first visit to Fujian’s Hakka tulou, the earthen fortress-villages. We met him for the first time at the KLIA check-in counter. There was no greeting, no niceties, just a grunt. Above average height and with bleached shoulder length hair, he was, to put it mildly, different. Decked out in cowboy boots, skinny jeans, a thick leather belt with big shiny buckle, and a tight flowery shirt accessorised with chunky chains and bracelets, and wearing a diamante earring, he was quite the epitome of retro kitsch.

The man claimed he was 71 years old and looked it. He was forgetful too, and ill-tempered. And much as I respected his age, I still don’t see why our group had to wait for him for nearly an hour at a medicine shop while he got his free herbal foot massage or why he had to constantly bark at us across the hotel lobby.

Fortunately, where this specimen failed to meet even the most basic requirements of a tour leader, it was more than made up for by our Fujian guide Xiao Li who did double duty.

The amazing night view of Suzhou Industrial Park.

Our small group included two women who were bringing their 91-year-old mother back to Chaozhou in Guangdong province. Xiao Li, a tall, clean-cut ex-People’s Liberation Army soldier from Fuzhou, outdid himself helping with extra arrangements like transport and accommodation. At the end of the tour, he politely refused the family’s token of appreciation, saying to serve the elderly is yinggai de (as it should be).

Happily, guides like Xiao Li are not uncommon in China. A few months ago, we were passing through Hangzhou and friends needed bus tickets to Pudong to catch their flight back to the United States.

Due to our tight schedule, we would arrive in Hangzhou after the ticket office closed. To solve the problem Mr Zhang, our national guide, phoned his wife to buy the tickets and deliver them to our hotel. This gentleman even invited us to his home for tea and a glimpse of life in his city.

There are exceptions, of course, but the majority of China guides I have met in recent years have been proficient, knowledgeable and enthusiastic, more like hosts than guides. Their pride in their country is obvious. Most have a tertiary education, many are university graduates and I find it especially charming that poetry just rolls off their tongues.

From Gansu to Shandong to Sichuan to Hangzhou, Suzhou, Yangzhou and Shaoxing, our guides have invoked greats like Li Bai, Du Fu and Su Dongpo for a better understanding of historic and scenic spots. There was no mistaking the mist in our Suzhou guide Xiao Gong’s eyes when, in a soft rain, he recited the melancholy Tang dynasty poem, A Night Mooring By The Maple Bridge (Fengqiao Yebo) at the Hanshansi (Cold Mountain Temple). Everyone, including those who did not understand a word of Putonghua, was moved.

Given the standard of the guides I have encountered in China, and if the outbound tour leaders are any indication of the quality of the tourism industry in Malaysia, then there really is a lot of work left to do.

The Star/Asia News Network

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