All six Chinese Pavilion assistants preparing goody bags on May 7 in preparation for the Brunei Day on May 8. All hailed from different Chinese provinces. Picture: BT/Chua Guan Cheong

SHANGHAI

AMONG the many officials and staff in the Brunei Pavilion, there are six Chinese nationals who stand out more than the rest, and are also being sought after for photographs, due to them donning the Brunei traditional costumes.

All hailed from different provinces of China, they have been an important force which helped the Brunei Pavilion attracts more than 10,000 visitors everyday.

Among them, Shi Zhuo, also known as May, from Shanxi Province, had stayed in Thailand for two years teaching Chinese, and speaks Thai quite fluently.

Asked if her Thai skill has been put to use in her daily work in the Brunei Pavilion, the 24-year-old said that she usually speaks to Thai tourists who visited the Pavilion, and their response is usually that of surprise someone could actually speak Thai in the Brunei Pavilion.

“They usually respond with surprise smiles, and are usually excited that I can speak Thai to them. They are probably friendly simply because they are so, as the Thais are naturally friendly,” said May.

The youngest staff among the six is Kevin Du Yongqing, 20. Hailing from Jiangxi Province, and a year three student of Jiangxi Agriculture University majoring in Electronic Business, Kevin has been granted a six months leave from his school to take up the job.

“The Brunei Pavilion probably employed me because when I came to the interview, I prepared a handbook on Brunei and showed it to the interviewers. They were probably satisfied with the effort that I put in, and thus decided to employ me,” said Kevin.

Asked about his studies, which has to be put on hold for the job, he said the university is very supportive of his decision, and have decided to let him self-study, and take his examinations after the Expo.

There are three qualified tour guides among the six of them, namely, Helen Wu Yijun, Harry Li Zhilin and Fu Anna.

Asked for her impression of Brunei after working so many days in the Pavilion, Helen said that she was deeply impressed with the His Majesty The Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam’s policies for the country.

“From the exhibits, I can see that he is a very noble leader, and stresses on education and welfare for the people, which is very positive for Brunei. And he is also handsome and manly. I hope to see him in China soon!” said the qualified tour guide hailed from Shanghai.

When posed the question of his impressions of Brunei, Harry said, “After working with the Bruneians in the Pavilion for the past few weeks, I think the people of Brunei are down-to-earth when it comes to work.

“They are also very diligent and careful in carrying out their duties, which I think is very impressive,” added the 26-year-old from Guangxi Province.

Fu Anna is a qualified tour guide from Shandong Province, and has warmed many visitors with her bright smiles.

Asked for her impression of Brunei, she said, “I think Brunei is a paradise for relaxation due to its stress free environment.”

Asked of her professional opinion as a tour guide about Brunei’s tourism potential, the 25-year-old responded positively. “I believe that the tropical rainforest makes Brunei a very beautiful country, and will be very attractive for tourists around the world. I believe if Brunei puts in the right development for tourism, they will definitely reap the rewards.”

One other Pavilion assistant Terry Zhang Zhe was unavailable for interview as he was back in Guangdong Province. The 23-year-old student from Shanghai Maritime University took time off from work to handle family matters. With all six ambassadors from China being so qualified and friendly, it was no wonder that the Brunei Pavilion broke their own record yet again by attracting a whopping 20,000 visitors into the Pavilion on Thursday. The Brunei Times

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