Saying “yes” to a Chinese tout was a good choice

“Where are you going?” “Where are you from?”

If you travel in Asia you will get these questions on the street. They are from touts – people who want to sell you something, or give you a ride. They’re almost always friendly, and are offering something that could be useful… but really it just becomes a drag.

To beleaguered Western ears it just starts to seem really presumptuous and intrusive. “I’m not asking about your personal plans; why are you asking about mine?”

Kaifeng, China.

While Masayo and I were staying at Da Jin Tai Hotel in Kaifeng, China, I noticed one day there was a local guy lounging in his bicycle rickshaw in front of the hotel. One day he managed to stop me and, in English, explain that he gave tours around Kaifeng.

“Yeah, here we go,” I sighed to myself.

Jason’s – I mean, Golden Phoenix’s – card.

He said his name was Jason and showed me his card. It said, “Code name: Golden Phoenix”. Not the usual tout, maybe. He also showed me a notebook full of photos of him with tourists, and their handwritten testimonies underneath.

Obviously it all seemed very much on the up and up, but still I was in my default “no” mode. I listened patiently, smiling insincerely, and got away as quickly as I could.

Our hotel was having its sign worked on. China loves the inherent art of its writing system.

But as I discussed it with Masayo in the room later, I realized that something about this guy seemed comforting – reliable and sincere. Maybe this trip would actually be worthwhile.

Dare we do the unthinkable – say yes to a tout?

Such are many travelers’ instincts and habits that many wouldn’t even honestly consider such a thing. In our case, it was certainly a laughable idea. The answer is always no; that’s just how we travel!

Right…?

The more we thought about it, the more we liked the idea. Why not try this guy? He seemed really genuine, and experienced. And why not go farther afield to see parts of the town we hadn’t yet?

The next time we saw Jason in front of the hotel, we smiled (genuinely this time) and said we’d like to take his tour.

Typical view of Jason during the tour.

And it was great. Jason, under his own power and while explaining everything in English, rode us around Kaifeng all day, pointing out this building and that tower, leading us through residential side streets past dusty little shops and to all sorts of places we never would have found on our own.

Jason explaining the decorations of the Shanxi Shaanxi Gansu Guildhall.

Jason was knowledgable and passionate about Kaifeng; there could be no better guide to a city. As the sun began to set and Kaifeng’s famous night market was set up, we insisted upon taking Jason for a bite to eat with us to thank him for his affordable and worthy tour.

(I later found out, incidentally, that Jason even got a mention in Lonely Planet. Now that’s arriving!)

One girl in this group of university students who were sightseeing alongside us asked if they could get their photo with Masayo and I. Jason himself took this one.

Meeting people like Jason is an important part of traveling. Saying no to touts is something that can’t be avoided, and will develop into a habit sooner or later in everyone.

But stay open-minded enough to consider some of the offers that seem good. Many local people all over the world are looking to provide a great service for visitors in exchange for some money, and these can be very worthwhile experiences you’ll remember for many years.

Jason poses with our page in his famous notebook.

Have you met people like Jason? Tell me about a good experience you’ve had with a “street” offer.

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