The job as a tour guide in Shanghai does not only earn Chen Deyin a living but also broadens his horizons and establishes a foundation for him to achieve his future goals.
Chen hopes to one day become a lawyer and he has received an offer from Shanghai Maritime University to undertake his postgraduate studies in law in September.
With his ambitions in mind, Chen said the job of a tour guide is not as tough as others may think.
"I think this job has established a platform for me to enrich my life and learn how to deal with different people," said the 28-year-old from Shandong province.
Chen became an English-speaking tour guide in Shanghai in 2009. Most tour groups he has worked with consist of VIPs from big companies and government. Chen can still remember his first day as a tour guide for VIPs from overseas when he was a translator assisting his colleagues.
"I was so nervous that my clothes would get wet with sweat in only a few minutes."
Chen's attitude toward his job earned him the trust from his colleagues to let him guide their most important clients.
With the Expo 2010 Shanghai, Chen has been offered chances to guide VIPs in the Expo Garden. Compared to many poorly prepared tour guides who managed to get lost in the Expo Garden during the first few days of the Expo, Chen said he handled all problems well.
"Becoming familiar with pavilions in the Expo Garden is very important, especially knowing some of the highlights of the national pavilions, like the location and cost of the pavilion," said Chen.
Apart from the training that were provided by the travel agencies Chen works with, he has read several books about the Expo, including the one by Wu Zhiqiang, the chief planner of the Expo Garden.
"I want to be better informed so as to provide the best services to my clients," said Chen.
Chen has been to the Expo Garden almost every day since May 1, when the event began. "I have visited the Expo Garden nearly 40 times since the Expo opened."
He said the job has offered him a chance to meet with many highly successful people and allowed him to learn many things from them.
"I may not have many chances to talk to them, but at least I can observe the way they treat others and the method they adopted in dealing with problems," said Chen.
After working more than one year as a tour guide for many high-level VIPs, Chen said he is used to dealing with his clients. "Actually they are all intelligent people and are easy to approach," said Chen.
Traveling around China with tour groups, Chen faces the same problems many tour guides face - he has little time to spend with his family and girlfriend.
"Occasionally, we meet in the Expo Garden," said Chen, whose girlfriend is also a tour guide. "But that is the life of a tour guide, so I must get used to it.
