The Wit and Wisdom of Chinese Tour Guides: A Critical Tourism Perspective 从批判角度探讨中国导游的智慧

Abstract

This research article examines the communicative techniques and discourse employed by Chinese tour guides during their interaction with English-speaking tourists. In-depth interviews were conducted with tour guides in three locations, intending to capture a cross section of major destinations for visitors to China where the interface between the Chinese host and visitors is likely to be most instructive. The locations for the interviews included Beijing, the cultural and historical center of China; Shanghai, the country's commercial center; and Guilin, a major nature-based tourism destination. The findings indicate that, from a functional perspective, Chinese tour guides employ a variety of communicative strategies when interacting with tourists, which may be indicative of coping behavior or reflective of their inherent attitudes toward visitors. These interactive communication strategies include the use of proverbs, metaphors, analogies, similes, and humor. The prevalent utilization of such techniques in the tour guides’ discourse with visitors not only manifests guides’ wit and wisdom but, viewed from critical tourism and sociolinguistic perspectives, also likely arises in large part from their intent to maintain China's traditional social, political, and economic order in the face of the dramatic changes now taking place in China.

本研究探讨中国导游跟讲英语游客互动时所采用的沟通技巧及交谈方式。我们与三个主要旅客目的地的导游进行深入访谈,包括北京—中国的历史文化中心、上海—国家的商业中心、及桂林—以自然为主的旅游目的地。这些地方乃中国与外来游客之间接触频繁的目的地，得出的数据将有启发作用。研究结果显示，从功能的角度来看，中国导游采用各种交际策略跟游客沟通，这可反映出他们的应对行为或其本身对游客的看法及态度。导游跟游客的互动沟通方式包括使用谚语、暗喻、类比、明喻及幽默。导游普遍利用上述技巧跟游客对话，这不仅体现了他们的智慧，从批判性旅游及社会语言学的角度来看，以及在当前中国面对巨大变化的背景下，这可能很大程度上是导游意图保持国家的传统社会、政治及经济秩序的策略。

Keywords:

• China
• critical tourism
• tour guides
• intercultural communication
• face

Keywords:

• 中国，批判性旅游，导游，跨文化交流，面子

Notes

1. Quotes are numbered for later discussion.