Who is Winser Zhao?



While connecting with the international online community at www.Twitter.com, I had the pleasure of meeting an entrepreneur from Beijing.  His name is Winser Zhao, and he's the mastermind behind www.sinohotelreservation.com, a travel site aimed at foreigners, complete with blog about Chinese culture and travel. Because I also love Chinese culture and travel, Winser and I have become great friends very quickly.  We thought it would be fun to interview each other on our blogs.  You can find his interview of me here: http://www.sinohotelreservation.com/winser/?p=489

Now, let's find out what makes Winser Zhou tick!

1. China travel agent, Chinese culture connoisseur, Environmental expert, and family man -- which title bests describes you?

Well, I have a travel company that especially focuses on introducing the real China and Chinese culture to foreigners, based in Beijing. I found more and more people choose my company for their travel to China. Because I can offer them the special itinerary that is more local and with more Chinese culture. They can enjoy the original Hutongs in the old Beijing, I can show them the well preserved architecture, I can tell them the real Taiji quan Kung fu and what is the traditional calligraphy. They can touch the real Beijing city, they can meet and talk to the local people. They can live in a special Hutong cultural Hotel. They can choose not to go to a "tourist trap" shop, and they can stay in Summer Palace for a certain time. I call this kind of travel a new name: China Travel 2.0. I know it is common in western countries, but it is a new concept in China. And there is nobody else in China who can offer such travel 2.0 services. Fortunately, I am the first one in China doing this kind of travel service -- the first China Travel 2.0 concept at least.

But I am not a Chinese culture connoisseur, the word is too heavy to me. I am still learning it. You said, 活到老，学到老, and another phrase  is 学无止境. So I am not suit for the word of "Connoisseur". Tai ji quan and calligraphy and Taoism need my whole life to learn. China has a very long civilization history, over 5000 years. There are more and more staff to learn. I just know very little of them. But I am happy I can meet my Taiji quan Shifu and calligraphy teacher and my culture teacher. They taught me a lot. I found I just opened a windows to the core Chinese culture. There is a long way to go. Fortunately, I am on the way.

Environmental expert, another good word for me. Yeah, I am an editor in an environmental periodical. and I am a volunteer in an environmental protection NGO in Beijing. But I am not an expert. China needs the green or clean energy. The solar and the wind and the water and some other kind of energy are the trend for the whole world. What can I do is just spread the news. Sometimes I can't understand the functions of the clean or green technology exactly. Sorry for that, but it is true. I just tell the people not waste the water, shut off the power when you leave the room, not use too much the A/C in the summer and winter. not use the 一次性筷子 and other 一次性用品. Try to take the bus or other kind of public transportation when you go on an outing. Yes, I can, and my wife can, and my family can. I will tell more and more friends can make it too. That's all. I am not an environmental expert.



Yeah, Family man. I like it. I know why do you put this word at the end. Maybe this is also your dream? There is a Chinese saying goes like this: 齐家治国平天下another proverb is 千里之行，始于足下. I believe there are some English sayings that have the same meaning. So be a good father and a good husband, that is my dream. I do all the works is for my family.

I can do my travel business, I can practice Taiji quan and write calligraphy, I can do well in my job, all thank for my family's support, especially I have a super wife (Lol, I love Chinglish). Thanks for your question. I thought we have the same thought.

Continued below . . .

4. Often Chinese people tell me that they have no time or money to travel. What are some "local travel tips" for people to integrate travel into their ordinary lives?

If you're still in your college, try to go on an outing in your summer and winter holiday. Remember, you will never have such a long holiday after you graduate and find a job. You must cherish these times as your only chance to travel for extended periods.

But if you have a job and have no long term holiday any more, what will you do? No worries. Use your weekends and annual holiday. It's not that long, but it is still a chance to enjoy local scenery with your close friends or family members. And it is a tip to keep fit. Don't be lazy in the weekends, just sleeping in bed. It is not good.

We won't finish the work, nobody can make it. So don't worry about your work. You will be back home in time and stay with your family. Don't let the work be your weight. Everybody must enjoy the wonderful life. Of course you can sleep at office if you thought the work is your whole life. Nobody can stop you to do that. Work and money is not the important thing when we talk about the family and our health.



Practice Taiji quan or climb a mountain on the weekend. You will return to work  the next week full of energy.

If you love traveling, then leave your work alone. Just go to your adventure.

5. In my Literature Class, I teach the poem "Chicago" by American poet Carl Sandburg. In this poem, he compares the American city of Chicago to a strong, hardworking man who laughs at trouble and economic crisis.  If you were going to describe the cities of Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai to a person, what kind of person would these cities be?

Beijing is a professor. An old professor.
He knows a lot. History and philosophy.
He welcomes you to his home. No matter whom you are.
He will like you, if you like him.

Tianjin is a hard worker, but without much money.
He has a good heart.
He can find pleasure anytime.
He has a big brother: his brother is Beijing.

Shanghai is modern lady, not a young and a hot woman.
She can sing beautiful songs and dance in the beautiful music.
Sometimes she will return home alone
Because the man has no money.

Thanks for your answers, Winser, and welcome to our community of American English Circle!  



For more information, visit Winser's travel web site: http://www.sinohotelreservation.com
Follow him on twitter.com: @winserzhao
Add him on facebook.com: http://www.facebook.com/people/Winser-Zhao/1048989363

It cost me a few minutes to read. I can feel the energy and passion oozing out from Winser's each word and I admire his entrepreneurial spirit and the enthusiasm towards travelling. Giving adivces to foreign travelers about exploring China is a good idea since ordinary Chinese are not so much enthusiastic about travelling in China but travelling abroad. You can easily pick out some foreigners who have been in more than 20 Chinese cities but for Chinese this number is staggering. Personally I have never been in Tibet, so it's a bit hard for me to imagine how bad the high altitude sickness could be. Usually I see people on some television show behind oxygen mask suffering the pain that is unconceivable to me. It must be a nightmare not able to fully appreciate the beautiful scenaries along the way. I think the only way of solving this ambivialent equation is go there myself.

I caught up a CCTV travelogue special program featuring The Tea and Horse Trail. A convoy composed of 20 SUVs spent 7 days to their final destination Lhasa on the road where there could easily be a land slide and turn the entire trip into a catastrophe. Some of them got sick even the presenter Marc Edwards got diarrhea. It may sound dangeous and unbearable but it is where the essence of backpacking or self-driving voyage lies. No pain no gain. I would pass those ads selling cheap return flight tickets to Lhasa and pay more attention to trains and coaches next time I decide to go to mysterious Tibet even though I could barely bear a 4-hour road trip from Sheffield to London.

Hi Zhaoinfo. I found we have the same family name. in a common Chinese  saying that we are one family 500 years ago. am happy with it.
Yeah, I agreed with what you said,Tibet is a mysterous place, but you must prepare for the  high altitude sickness, aka 高原反应. actually,it is realy a difficult problem for everyone who arrives a place over 4000 meters high. and you must go to the closest hospital at once if you have a fever or a cold. otherwise it is realy dangous for your life. and the 高原反应 has no relationship with someone's health and age. so nobody cant forecast the 高原反应 will happen or not. but there are some tips for it. one of the important tips is slowly movement. 慢慢来. no run, walk slowly. fortunately, I felt nothing the 2nd day there. only the pure air and the blue sky. but it was a heavy headace the 1st day.