Guiding with care

Like He, Zhou Qi views her work as a form of cultural exchange. Having traveled to 38 countries, she describes guiding as "a way to help people understand China better".

"At first, I just loved traveling," she said. "But then I realized guiding is also a way to correct misunderstandings. Many foreigners imagine China as unsafe or chaotic. Talking with them helps bridge such gaps."

She has led vinyl collectors to hidden record shops in Beijing, anime fans to subculture stores, and families on rickshaw rides through hutong, where elderly residents welcomed them with traditional music.

"At the end of the tour, many told me their impressions of China had changed. That's the most rewarding part," Zhou said.

Sometimes, her work carries unexpected weight. Zhou recalled one client collapsing from heatstroke during a sports event last summer. "I stayed calm, paid the medical fees, and contacted his family," she said. "It was stressful, but it built trust across borders."

Thanks to China's visa-free policy, the client's wife was able to fly in from Australia within days.

For Zhou, each journey has meaning. "Some of my guests are elderly and may only visit China once in their lifetime. It's precious to know that we spent a meaningful day together," she said.

That same sense of purpose drives Dinna (pseudonym) in Shanghai. On a humid summer afternoon, she led a group of foreign visitors along the Bund, one of the city's most famous landmarks. As they posed against Pudong's glittering skyline, she held up a black-and-white photo of the area in the 1990s — when it was still farmland.

"Back then, there was nothing here," she said. "The Oriental Pearl Tower was the first to rise, and now we have the 'kitchen trio' of skyscrapers."

For her guests, the skyline symbolizes China's transformation. For Dinna, it mirrors her own — from a nine-to-five office worker to a professional guide. A decade ago, she quit her job to set off on a solo journey across South America. "I didn't know where it would lead me," she recalled. "But I wanted a challenge."