A group of tour guides have become the latest attraction at the
South China Botanical Garden in Guangzhou, Southern Metropolis
Daily reported.
The young women volunteers look no different from other tour
guides, but they are all PhD candidates studying at the South China
Institute of Botany.
It is the first time, in China, PhD candidates have become
tourist guides at a botanical garden.
The eight guides, all in their mid-20s, have proven to be
"unexpectedly" charming and sociable, according to media
reports.
Six of the ladies began their duties on Jan 10 and Xu Ling, from
the Bai ethnic minority of Yunnan province, wore a traditional
costume especially for the occasion.
One of the guides, Liu Xia, from Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang
Autonomous Region, dressed stylishly in a red sweater, short jeans
and hairy boots.
Yang Yulan, from Guizhou province, a fan of Zhou Bichang, the
first runner-up of the 2005 Super Girl singing contest, imitated
her idol's style with short hair and framed glasses.
The guides will be trained to make interesting remarks and be
personable.
Huang Shanshan, for instance, introduced a rare vine by quoting
a well-known poem by Li Yu, the last emperor of the Southern Tang
Dynasty (AD 937-975). She then compared the vine to tangled
thoughts.
When challenged by questions such as, why are there white and
blue jasmine flowers? Yang responded the various colors represent
periods of flowering.
Liao Jingping, director of the horticulture center at the
botanical garden, said more than 30 students and professors had
volunteered to be part-time tour guides at the garden.
Every day, Liao said, there will be at least one PhD candidate
working in the garden as a guide.
"It will help popularize botanical knowledge among the public,"
Liao said.
(China Daily January 29, 2008)