A few times we have heard the Chinese guests calling a well organised sightseeing program going to famous Danish sights “not very interesting”, because “in China we have a far older culture”. Some would rather see tall modern skyscrapers like those in Manhattan .

A company in Sealand could for instance treat their guests to a bus trip along the harbour, through the embassy area in Hellerup and up along the posh quarters of northern Copenhagen .

Don't forget to let the guests take photos in front of any interesting sight you pass, as one of the highlights after returning home is showing the photos to family and friends.

“Where are the skyscrapers?”

The guests often don't realise that a country such as Denmark stands for something completely different than skyscrapers. We have therefore often encountered questions from Chinese guests such as “So when is the tearing down of Christiansborg due?”.

Many guests have also expressed a regret that their journey didn't go to the USA instead of Denmark , as this has a higher status.

Faced with these statements one can easily lose patience and feel like taking the guests straight back to the airport sooner than expected. But patience is a virtue when negotiating with a Chinese business partner.
The explanation to the statements above is that in China old, worn-down buildings have been around for too long. Now they are torn down and new and better are built. The desire for new facilities results in a crave for buildings that are more modern-looking and have modern facilities.

It is in situations like these the interpreter with a multicultural background can relieve the situation. Often it is seen that the Chinese guests have great trust in a Chinese-born interpreter, who is able to explain thoroughly the things that seem strange and incomprehensible to the guests – the fact that Denmark is explained from a Chinese angle often improves the understanding a great deal.