Chinese Tourists in Britain.

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MaomingMaster
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Joined: Feb 03, 2004
Posts: 11059

Posted: July 26, 2005 - 08:48 AM
Post subject: Chinese Tourists in Britain.

Quote:

'I am very lucky dog to be here'

What with bomb threats, dodgy food and pouring rain, you might expect the first coachload of ordinary Chinese tourists to visit Britain to be distinctly underwhelmed. But they couldn't be happier, finds Carole Cadwalladr

Tuesday July 26, 2005
The Guardian

The commentary on board the coach carrying Britain's first ever delegation of official Chinese tourists yesterday was possibly suffering a little in translation. At the front a Mandarin-speaking Blue Badge Guide was running through the sites. At my elbow, Jiang Jiqiang from Beijing Youth Daily was translating: "She said Queen is 79. She say she is old lady. She say she looks like her mother."

On the Embankment, he points out first County Hall. "Mrs Thatcher she closed this castle. Shut." And then a CCTV camera. "Many cameras!" he says. "Many terrorists!" Which wasn't quite the message that Visit Britain, the body responsible for promoting the UK overseas, was hoping this group would take back home. They were supposed to be enjoying what Lord Marshall had told them at a special breakfast at the V&A was "Britain: The Brand". To back the point up, each visitor had been given a goody bag representing this image of a modern, go-ahead Britain: a Harrods carrier bag, a can of London Pride beer, a cuddly lion, a CD of Chicago - The Musical, and a mug.

Article continues
But they were carrying a certain burden of expectation on their shoulders. Until now, it has only been possible for Chinese visitors to come here on a student or business visa. But six months ago the UK was granted approved destination status by China, and the first group of tour operators, journalists and holidaymakers arrived yesterday for a week-long jaunt to London, Shakespeare's Stratford, Manchester United's Manchester, and JK Rowling's Edinburgh. In the second week running in which visitor numbers to the capital fell, there was no mistaking the excitement that the trip was generating.

"It's brilliant, really brilliant." says James Bradbury, the general manager of Madame Tussauds. "We've done a lot of research into China. It's our number one emerging market. You can't overestimate how important it will be. We already have an attraction in Hong Kong, so we know who they like. It's why we moved Victoria next to David Beckham. We did that today especially for them."

Even the most conservative estimates predict that the current 95,000 Chinese visitors who come to Britain each year will double by 2010. And it's thought that by 2020 they will be in the top five nationalities visiting Britain, right up there with the Americans and the Japanese.

Which is why it wasn't just a waxwork model of Victoria Beckham that had been laid on: the real, live, Duke of York was hosting a gala dinner for the group at the Tower of London, catered by the chefs from Hakkasan, the capital's only Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant.

"What we really need to do though is to update the country's image," says Travis Qian of Shanghai's Visit Britain office. "At the moment, most people have this very old-fashioned idea of sticks and bowler hats. They have the idea that it is very imperial."

Jiang Jiqiang's recounting of the pre-Duke briefing seems to back this up. "They say, don't take the photo! Don't shake the hand! Don't embrace! Forbidden everything!"

He wasn't the only one to have noticed a certain inconsistency in "Britain - the brand". At lunch, at the Phoenix Palace restaurant near Madame Tussauds, journalist Ma Tianguo starts asking some potentially tricky questions. "So, how is your country so democratic if you have a monarchy?"

"Well Ma," I say. "We have what is called a constitutional monarchy. You see the Queen doesn't really have any power."

Ma nods. "Can you tell me please the difference between 'vote-rigging' in Chinese elections, and 'appointing a governor' as the British did in Hong Kong? Excuse me to ask, but is this what you call double standards?"

He does, however, point to similarities between Britain and China that he thought would help to warm relations between the two countries. "Our press is pretty free," he says. "We are like you. We don't write bad articles about the president like you don't like bad articles about the Queen."

It isn't just the Queen who was taking the rap, though. The government had its knockers too. Mr Zhang from Beijing runs through what he knew about British politics. "The leader of the Labour party is Tony Blair. He is good friend of Mr Bush. He shouldn't be so aggressive in his foreign policies."

If the press were being a little sceptical, though, the holidaymakers, who had paid £1,200 for the trip - equivalent to the annual salary of an average Chinese worker - were saying the sort of things that chief executives of British tourist attractions dream about.

Lin Li, a 19-year-old student from Beijing who had won her ticket on a TV game show, has already been soundbited by Reuters, three official Chinese state news agencies, and Sky News. And still she shows no signs of flagging despite the rain dripping down her neck.

"What do you think of London, Lin Li?"

"I am very lucky dog to be here! This is American English. It means, I am very lucky lady indeed."

"How have you found the British so far?"

"Very helpful and kindly and warm-hearted. For example, yesterday, when we arrived at the hotel and were waiting for the lift, a woman, she pressed the button for me! And then when I entered the room, the lights had no power, and a man came to put them on!"

We were also "very clean", she says. Mrs Zhang, Mrs Laun and Mrs Cao, all professional women in their late 40s to 50s, agree. They thought it was because of "Britain's famous gentleman culture".

And yesterday, even as the rain poured down, and more bombing headlines filled the newspapers, there were grounds for cautious optimism that Britain's famous gentleman culture might succeed in saving the country's tourist industry.

"James Bond," says Mrs Zhang. "Hugh Grant," says Mrs Laun. None of them was put off by the bombings. Or even the food. Visit Britain, alive to possible cultural misunderstandings, had put together a factsheet explaining to Britain's hoteliers and visitor attractions a few potential pitfalls. "Chinese tourists are used to eating Chinese-style lunch and dinner," it says.

Lin Li insists, however, that she likes British food. "In Beijing we only have KFC and McDonald's but it is pretty delicious." There was only a small note of possible criticism. "Sometimes it is just too tasty."

God bless 'em! This article is great!

The Chinese seem to be having a ball in Blighty and why not?

I love the Chinglish that the reporter quotes....

I know this should be in the news place but it's too much fun!

Laughing

skyline5k

Shanghai Royalty

Joined: Sep 06, 2004
Posts: 8686
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Posted: July 26, 2005 - 09:28 AM

That's is indeed a cool article, davey-boy.

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*CheerLeader*Mao
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Joined: July 07, 2004
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Posted: July 26, 2005 - 10:09 AM

i just hope none of them run for the door in the tube.

i would hate to imagining the ringing of bullets that will go off when they use the chinese tactic of getting on a train.

BOOM!!!