Inbound tour groups return to Shanghai, and welcome!
Shot by Jiang Xiaowei and Hu Min. Edited by Jiang Xiaowei. Subtitles by Jiang Xiaowei and Hu Min.
The first Singaporean tour group embarks on a two-day trip in Shanghai on Monday.
In a dazzling display of light and sound, Lim Yock Kee and her husband stood in awe of the lantern show at Huangpu's Yuyuan Garden Malls on Monday night.
They were among the first Singaporean tour group visiting Shanghai after COVID-19, waiting three years to make the trip.
Before the pandemic, they routinely visited China two or three times a year.
"We really wanted to visit China," Lim Yock Kee told Shanghai Daily.
"I really like Shanghai. It's very beautiful," she said.
"I've been to Shanghai three times, but it feels so different each time. The metropolis is always changing."
"The transport is convenient. The dining and accommodation experiences are impressive. The environment is really good."
"I'll definitely come here again," she added.
Ng Ting Ann, her husband, hasn't been to Shanghai for over 30 years.
"There has been significant changes, and the standard of living is really high," he added. "Everything is just perfect."
The tour group, organized by the Suzhou Zhong Cheng Travel Co Ltd, is made up of over 20 tourists from Singapore.
They toured the Yuyuan Garden scenic area and the Bund on Monday after visiting neighboring Anhui Province, and will head to Bicester Village in the Pudong New Area on Tuesday.
Lim Yock Kee (third left) and other tourists pose in the Yuyuan Garden scenic area on Monday.
Oh Pearlyn, another tourist in the group, was excited and curious to explore Shanghai since her arrival.
"It's my first overseas trip after COVID," she told Shanghai Daily. She had planned this trip for his father and finally chose China for good scenery and food.
She was impressed by the view of Shanghai.
"It's much more beautiful to see in person than in pictures or on websites," she noted.
She sink teeth into xiaolongbao, or small steamed buns, a representative Shanghai snack.
"It's really delicious," she said.
"Definitely, I will recommend my friends to visit China," she added.
Oh Pearlyn in the group takes a selfie on the Bund.
After a 3-year hiatus, Wu Chao, a veteran tour guide of the group, could not contain his excitement and happiness as he held a flag used to lead and gather group tourists.
It was his first inbound tour group who spends eight days in China.
Noticeably, there are many tour groups in Yuyuan Garden scenic area and the Bund even it was Monday.
"I am excited," said Wu. "The bustling and familiar scene is back."
"My guests have a cheerful mood due to the pleasant weather and they like the antique architecture of Jiangnan (regions south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River)," he said.
Wu tried other jobs during the pandemic but finally returned to his familiar post.
"I like being a tour guide and communicating with my guests," he added.
His routes mainly cover east China.
As a result of the robust tourism recovery in China, he has a full schedule which makes him no rest through the end of May.
"But I am happy and I will guide tour groups from the Philippines soon," he said.
The group tours the Bund on Monday night with guide Wu Chao (center) busy introducing an intriguing Shanghai.
