On the Couch: China Adventures with Mr Su Zhi Wei

Mr Su is a part of World Expeditions history. He was there when we were the first company to operate cycling tours in China almost 40 years ago, a time when he couldn't have even thought to own a car. Now, with driving one of his favourite forms of travel, and feeling more optimistic about tourism in China post-Covid, he recounts some fun and key highlights during his time at World Expeditions.

Hello ‘Mr Su’. Please tell us a little bit about yourself. 

Hello! I live in Guangzhou, China where I run a travel company which operates both in-bound tourism and out-bound as well. I have a family of 3, my wife (who works in our company) and my daughter. My daughter lives in California with my 7 year old grandson, so we travel to the USA often to visit the.

I feel very fortunate that I chose a career that I could devote myself to it for my whole life, because I always love travel. I’d love to see the outside world since I was a child. And I love to bring people to see our own world and our people the outside. Besides travel, I love hiking, biking, fishing and driving. I love cars. For me, a car means freedom of travel.

I have worked for World Expeditions China tour program since 1986, when I was 25 years old. Now I am 63, and have helped the company with over 600 China adventure tours during my career. 

When did you first begin in the tourism industry in China? 

My first job after my graduation from college was arranged by the government. Those days in the 70s and 80s the government paid for our education and assigned us to work for them. 

It was not like now, where graduates find their own jobs. So, I was assigned to work in the ministry of foreign affairs in Beijing in 1982. 

But after 4 years I found this job didn’t suit me. I quit in 1986. I found a new job in my hometown, Guangzhou, in a travel company. My job was sales and marketing, and I also worked as a guide. 

What are the biggest changes you have noticed in China’s tourism industry during your time? 

I witness great changes of China in all aspects during the past 3-4 decades. When I was leading trips in the 80s, when China was booming with construction, some senior Americans told me your country is experiencing drastic changes. 

A Swiss journalist asked me what car I liked when all I had was a bicycle! A car was a dream for me and an apartment of our own was even more so. But in a matter of 10-ish years, we had our own apartment and our own car. We owe this success to our Reform and Open policy. The Western world embraced China. 

How did you first come to meet with World Expeditions? 

The travel company I first worked at ran bicycle tours for World Expeditions in the 1980’s. I was there in 1986 and I met the founders then later there was a man called Charles Stuart, a manager for China trips. 

Then we had Tian An Men Square event in 1989. China was boycotted. Those were difficult years for us all running China tours. 

I left the travel company I worked for and started to work for myself after a few years. 

What was the first World Expeditions tour you operated? Any ‘interesting’ memories? 

World Expeditions ran the first bicycle trip in China back in early 1980’s. I think before that time there were no other foreign tour company doing this type of trip. In the minds of Chinese, we thought this cycle tourism was insane. We assumed travel and tour should be comfortable with no physical challenge. 

Because I was a green-hand in 1986, I was not qualified to guide for World Expeditions. Instead, I was sent to work for a single young Aussie lady from another travel company, cycling one day from Guangzhou to Zhaoqing. 

I was a bit sorry for the lady. Those days hotels in rural China were government owned and in poor management. Ten minutes after we checked in, she knocked on my door bringing me to see a big black spider crawling out of her bed in her room. I tried to calm her down saying this was not a poisonous spider and quickly had front desk change her room. She was in tears till we returned to Guangzhou. 

In 1980’s, World Expeditions’ bike groups entered China from Macao and cycled through rural South Guangdong to Guangzhou. South Guangdong manufacturing industry was booming those years and attracted people from all over China to work there creating busy traffic year on year. 

Feedback came that the traffic was too busy. After learning this I developed a new bike route in North Guangdong. This new bike trip was very popular with World Expeditions travellers and we had full trips for a couple of years! But unfortunately, in 1989 we had a Tian An Men Square event and China was boycotted. 

In the 1990’s World Expeditions numbers were picking up. In 1996 I started to have my own business. The first trip was a cycling trip of North Guangdong. It was a group of 8 Australians. 

Those days World Expeditions sent their own tour leader, Stan Corney. I led quite a few trips with him. He was a strong man and had a great sense of humour. He brought a lot of laughter for the group and we built a strong friendship. After he retired I invited him for a bike ride around Taiwan Island and later another bike ride in Tibet. 

Those days in rural China things were not easy. You may have very poor hotels. Western food was a no. Most roads were gravel and unpaved. In rainy days the roads were so bad and muddy that our support vehicles were easily stranded. We had to hire local farmers to help out once! 

The World Expeditions travellers were very nice. They found all these challenges acceptable (no one had tried to do this tour before) and made no complaints. 

What is the favourite trip you have designed for World Expeditions?

It used to be China by Bike, but it lost popularity. It looks like the older generations liked physical challenge but not younger generations. Now, it is the China Silk Road. 

This trip was quite popular and remained a best seller for many years. Silk Road is a great trip, but tricky to operate. 

There was one year when one group happened to cross the border during our national day holiday. The Chinese border control let the group go. The group travelled over the no-man zone and came to the Kyrgyzstan border where they were told they were closed during the Chinese holiday. The group returned back to the China side but could not enter China anymore with their visas void! They stayed overnight at the army barracks of China. Our partners in Kyrgyzstan ran to their rescue the next day. 

The pandemic. How did you survive?

The government locked down the whole country for 3 years from January 2020 till March 2023. Because we specialized in in-bound tours, there was little room for us to get a bite from domestic Chinese market. To survive we tried to reduce all costs as much as possible and all staff paid half salary. 

Now is far from pre-pandemic level. But 2025 likely will be much better than this year. We estimate 2025 will be much better than 2024 according to the inquiries we receive so far, but not yet to the level pre-pandemic. In 2019 there were 380 flights weekly between China and USA, now is only 100 flights. 

Benefits of travelling to China now?

If I had never been to China, now is a great time to come. Very few foreign tourists now. In the old days there were so many Europeans in big cities, now we don’t see any. 

Any final comments you'd like to share? 

As common people, I can assure you that Chinese people are a friendly one. We always welcome all westerners to come visiting our country. China gave free visa to quite a few Asian countries. Now free visa to 6 European countries, ie Germany, Italy, France, Holland, Spain and Belgium. I wish same will apply to Aussies, Kiwis and other countries in the near future. We seem to be back in normal with Australia relation again with trade ban lifted.