Our guide was one of the strongest reasons the trip felt different from ordinary tours. He clearly knew Chinese history, but his knowledge wasn't presented as a list of dates and names. He knew the stories behind things, the contradictions, the little details and the connections between historical China and modern life.
He also had a great sense of humour. There were moments when we were talking about something that happened hundreds of years ago and somehow the conversation turned into jokes about everyday life in China today. It was completely natural.
What made that even better was that he seemed to read our energy. When we were fascinated, he went deeper. When we were tired, he kept things lighter. We never felt that we had to “keep up” with the guide. That level of personal attention is difficult to get on a standard tour and was a big reason we enjoyed working with AVIORA.