A NUMBER of elderly people in Qingdao competed to become volunteer scenic spot tour guides and 77 were recently selected for interviews.

    Qingdao’s tourism administration offered to recruit volunteer scenic spot tour guides. Those selected would receive free training and would be recommended for scenic spot instructors after they passed a written test. Those interested in becoming a tour guide can sit the national tour guide exam after working for a certain period.

    During the interviews, many of the elderly applicants spoke good English and one even spoke Spanish.

    Leng Liangchen, 67, is a retired teacher who has been living near Xinhao Hill for 58 years. “I have a very special feeling for Xinhao Hill and I know a lot of stories about this scenic spot.”

    Song Leyu, 59, has been a volunteer for five years and knows every scenic spot in Qingdao. She speaks fluent Qingdao dialect, Mandarin and Spanish.

    “To help tourists with my knowledge is a meaningful task and I always have a lot of fun in doing that,” she said.

    (Jane Lai, Wang Meng)