1. TRAVEL GIRLMagazine
A Life Exposé on
Thai Lady Boys
Different Paths
New Sight
House Hunting
--choose your journey
REALITY SHOW
ADVENTURE
Selfie Stick Ban:
Fact or Fiction?
Discovering the
Real You
May 2015 / VOL.01
RMB 30

3. Travel Girl is a Zhuhai-based magazine that provides the
best travel tips, guides, and stories for all our travel girls
out there. Specializing in the Asia pacific region, Travel Girl
aims to show readers the beauty and quirks of travel all in
one package. Entering strange lands, enduring tough road-
blocks, enjoying staggering sceneries, travelling stories that
Jennifer Chiu
Crystal Sun
Scrooge Chen
Elaine Hu
Jacqueline Qiu
Angelina Yang
EDITORS

4. >>>ON THE WAY
Different Paths New Sight / P3
House Hunting
--choose your journey / P8
>>>COVER STORY
A Life Exposé on Thai Lady Boy / P11
CONTENTS
CONTENT
May 2015
>>>TRAVEL GIRL'S VOICE
Didcovering the Real You / P15
>>>TOP TOPIC
Selfie Stick Ban: Fact or Fiction? / P20
Reality Show Adventure / P24
RMB 30
2 Travel Girl

5. Different paths
New sight
E
veryone have a dif-
ferent definition of
travel. You could be
flying to a private island in
the Caribbean to get some
sun or be heading halfway
across the world on foot in a
journey of self-discovery. It
does not matter how you get
there either, whether it is by
train, by bike, or by foot. But
know this. You are bound to
have an equally unique expe-
rience depending on the road
you choose.
Tibet, the holiest place in
China, is one of those special
places. No matter how old
you or how much money you
have, you could always find
a way to enjoy Tibet.
As one of the Buddhism
Holy Lands, the blend of
religion, the unique architec-
ture, and the beautiful scen-
ery takes Tibet to perfection.
The lofty mountains, clear
lakes, colorful dazzling sun-
shine, and the pastures of the
brilliant and mysterious tem-
ples, Tibet will surprise you.
ON THE WAY
Travel Girl 3
By Elaine Hu

6. Makes things different,
earn different sight
If you are a girl that wants
to challenge yourself, tons of
patience, and have enough time
to travel, you could learn from
Wang Xiyu, who walked her
way across mountains near Ti-
bet.
As a graduating undergradu-
ate student, Xiyu Wang wanted
a different kind of graduation
trip, something other than the
big cities everyone else goes
to. Therefore, she had decided
to travel by foot to Meili Xue
Shan, a mountain range located
between the borders of Yunnan
and Tibet.
As a snow-capped mountain
range with its highest point,
the Kawagebo Peak, at an ele-
vation of 6,740 m, the Meilin
Xue Shan is one of the most
sacred peaks for the Tibetans.
Before the trip, Wang had
made much preparation. Get-
ting a mountaineering suit,
sleeping bags, and a large
backpack is essential. “I did
lots of research on what kind
of equipment I should bring for
my trip,” said Wang. “I did re-
search on the climate, the road
conditions and possible safety
problems. To avoid diseases
and accidents, I had to bring
medicine, maps, and compass-
es. Compressed foods like the
BP-5 biscuit bars would be
helpful in dealing with hun-
ger.”
While the trip is filled with
beautiful scenery and many in-
teresting experiences, but there
were also many extreme obsta-
cles along the way.
In order to protect moun-
tain’s natural environment,
there is no manmade road.
Acute mountain sickness, sharp
branches, and rugged mountain
paths had made Wang wanting
to give up at times.
“There are some places so
narrow that I felt like my life
was in danger,” said Wang.
On the road of Tibet. Photo provided by Jiang Jiaxin
Go down a mountain
Photo provided by Wang Xiyu
ON THE WAY
4 Travel Girl

7. “One time, we had to walk
along a mountain path that was
only wide enough for one per-
son and it left you staring down
at the steep abyss at your side.
It was frightening.”
However, when she reached the
mountain top and saw how the
sun shined on the snowcapped
mountain and turning it gold, it
no longer matter how difficult
getting there was anymore
“This experience had made
me braver and stronger,” said
Wang. “I do think I will be
frightened by any difficulties in
the future.”
“Live happy is import-
ant, do you want to do”
Running through the Tibet
is the National Highway 318,
known for being the longest
road in China. It is also known
as the most difficult road to
build in the country. Since
there are many natural scenery
along the road that you cannot
see anywhere else, that is why
Jiaxin Jiang, a 23 year old girl
from Sichuan Province, had
decided to bike to Tibet.
“I remember one night, I saw
friend posting pictures of her
travels to the Taklamakan Des-
ert and I was shocked by the
beauty of the natural scenery,”
said Jiang. “It had inspired
me to go travelling myself. I
wanted to challenge myself and
that is why I decided to bike to
Tibet.”
Thus, Jiang started to pre-
pare for her trip.
“When you decide to do
something, the whole world
will be willing to help you,”
said Jiang. “I began asking
experienced bikers on tips and
guides on the journey, and not
long after, I was recruited by
an experience band of bikers.
Biking holiday on the road of
Ya'an
Photo provided by Jiang
Jiaxin
Jiang Jiaxin with her
teammates
provided by Jiang Jiaxin
ON THE WAY
Travel Girl 5

8. called the Raiders, who had
much experience biking along
the 318 road.”
It was Jiang’s first time
riding to the plateau and the
hardships were unimaginable.
Adapting to long-distance bike
riding was not short of ups
and downs, whether they were
psychological or physical chal-
lenges.
“If you are not professional
rider,” said Jiang, “Don’t try to
biking to Tibet alone. The rea-
son that I have held on to the
end were because of my team
members.”
Forgotten for what reason,
while climbing on Ya’an’s fi-
nal slope, she had separated
from her teammates. She had
to climb by herself, where ex-
haustion and fear had made her
hopeless. It was the first time
that she had felt miserable. But
she held out. When she climb
the last slope, She saw her
teammates waiting and she had
almost burst into tears. In that
moment, she could only think
of one thing, that “we are a
team”.
The load of her luggage was
shared by her team members.
She was always lagging be-
hind during their rides, but her
teammates still accompanied
with her. They say that a set of
tools and equipment needs to
be shared
She said that it was “thanks
to my teammates, for support-
ing each other that we enjoyed
the trip so much. We shared
happiness and sorrow. It’s hard
to express this feeling in just
one or two words. Not just my
teammates, I also met other
Beautiful sight on the road of train. Photo provided by Liu Xiao
ON THE WAY
6 Travel Girl

9. lovely people, like other riders,
walkers, runners, skateboard-
ers, self-drivers.”
This experience had not
changed her life, but had left
an unforgettable experience
and lots of good friend.
Walking and biking are ways
which need patience and long
time to prepare. It also require
lots of time and energy on the
road, so many people might not
be able to handle it.
Relax on holidays
If you want to have a relax-
ing travel experience and save
time, there is still another great
way to get to Tibet - by train.
Xiao Liu, is a 28 year old
girl. She saw her trip as a hol-
iday, so relaxing is the most
important thing. That was why
her had decided to go by train.
She said travel can change
a person’s temperament, let a
person takes a broader view
On the road, you will see dif-
ferent people with different
habits and you will know that,
not everyone lives life the way
you do. She was attracted to
many things in Tibet; the blue
skies, the feel the clouds at
your fingertips, the calm lakes,
the towering snowcapped
mountains, the majesty of the
Potala Palace, all kinds of gad-
gets sold on Bajiao street, the
devout pilgrims, the simple
Tibetan children, and all those
gallant, long-haired Tibetan
men riding a horse galloping
on the grassland.
Different paths have
different experiences. It de-
pends on one’s budget, the
amount of energy and whether
they have enough patience. No
matter what kinds of paths you
choose, Tibet is an amazing
place worthy for you to enjoy.
The experiences of the trip is
more important than the desti-
nation.
For tourists, no matter
which path you choose, you
can feel the ordeal of this holy
land. Tibet’s stunning natural
beauty is undoubtedly unified
and harmonious.
To some extent, Tibet is des-
tined to become a dream desti-
nation with her unique natural
and cultural landscape. It is so
hard to reach because it is so
close to the skies.
On stop at Sichuan Tibet line
Photo provided by Liu Xiao
ON THE WAY
Travel Girl 7

10. House Hunting
--choose your journey
By Crystal Sun
A room offerd by Aribnb Photo provided by Zhang Yifan
A
ccommodation is perhaps one
of the most important factors
to consider when planning for
a trip.
In order to obtain a comfortable and
convenient journey, a lot of people
choose to travel with travel agencies
and live in hotels.
However, the younger generation
in China has very different opinions
about travel compared to the older
generation. When they are traveling,
they want to learn more about the local
culture and even want to make friends
with the local people because they
think by doing so, they can truly feel
that they’ve been to the destination and
have integrated with the local culture.
Therefore, these young travelers
might choose different kinds of accom-
modation other than the traditional type
of hotels.
Inns, guesthouses, and even couch
surfing are good accommodation choic-
es to get such experiences.
Guesthouse --
Good choice for overseas
accommodation
Nowadays, in China, more and more
people go abroad for travel than ever
before. Citing the data from China’s
national tourism administration, a total
of 97 million Chinese tourists left the
country in 2013, up 14 million from
the previous year. Among them, young
people account for a great ratio.
ON THE WAY
8 Travel Girl

11. The mat that Zhao slept in the host's house
Photo provided by Zhao Xing
“When I go abroad with my
friends,” said Zhang Yifan, a
student from Tianjin University
of Science and Technology. “We
try to save money on accom-
modation so we can use more
money tasting delicious foods
and visiting tourist attractions.I
think that is the fun part during
our travels.”
Earlier this year, Zhang went
with her friends to South Ko-
rea. In order to save costs, they
booked a guesthouse through
the website—Airbnb.
Zhang said there are many
reasons why she had chosen
to book a guesthouse. First,
when she compared the price of
Airbnb’s house with hotels, it is
much cheaper. Because they had
6 people together,they would
have had to book 3 rooms in the
hotel, which would have round-
ed off at the high cost of about
1500RMB. However, if they
choose to live in the guesthouse,
they could just rent one apart-
ment at the low cost of about
550RMB. With the guesthouse,
each person would only need to
pay about 90RMB per night.
“Not only the price is lower
when compared with hotel,”
added Zhang,“but the guest-
house’s living environment
is actually quite good. It is a
completely furnished apartment
with a kitchen, so we can cook
breakfast on our own, which is
quite convenient.”
“The house owner also gave
us a lot of good recommenda-
tions,” said Zhang.“Like how to
effectively plan our route and
which restaurant we should
visit. Thus,it felt like we were
receiving a warm welcome in a
foreign country.” Zhang added.
Try to be a couch surfer
Compared with the nice
furnished houses provided on
Airbnb, you could just sleep on
a yoga mat but pay no money
when you decide to be a couch
surfer during your trip.
Normally, if you choose
to book a guesthouse through
Airbnb, you cannot live with the
local people because the guest-
houses provided on Airbnb are
the owner’s spare houses.
However, when you become
a couch surfer, you will have a
lot of chances to interact with
the local people. You will live
with the couch-surfing host in
his or her house. In addition, the
hosts are glad to take you out to
meet his or her friends and show
you around the city.
Zhao Xing, a white collar
from a PR company in Beijing,
has chosen to be a couch surfer
during her journey in Taiwan.
“My host and I talked a lot
of topics,” said Zhao.“We don’t
have many different opinions
about issues. Even if we have
some different ideas, we are not
going to argue because I believe
the essence of being a CSer are
experiencing and exchanging.
Being a good CSer also means
you need to be a good listener
so that you can hear the view-
points from different voices and
have a broader cognition about
the world. That is the reason I
believe why couch surfing can
attract so many people.”
Traditional inns in China
In some tourist cities of Chi-
na, inns have become a kind of
cultural phenomenon, especially
in Lijiang. These inns have del-
icate appearance which share
many characteristics of tradi-
tional Chinese architecture, such
as screen panels.
ON THE WAY
Travel Girl 9

12. Jiao is enjoying his life at Zhao Rong's inn Photo by Crystal Sun
Compared with the monot-
onous living experiences in
hotels, the colorful life in inns
attracts more and more young
people to choose to live in inns
because these young generation
love to experience something
fresh.
Many inn owners are very
kind and helpful. They even
treat the guests like friends. For
example, they are glad to bring
tourists to the local restaurants
to eat and drink together with
local people and hold BBQ
party at the inn. In addition, the
inn owner might provide sur-
prises for the travelers such as
a birthday party so they could
have unforgettable travel expe-
riences.
Jiao Yanfu, a traveler who
lived in an inn at Ancient
Shuhe Town located in the
famous tourist destination of
Lijiang—KuanZhai Xiang Zi
for one week, said he had a
wonderful time in the inn.
When he first arrived at the
inn, the inn owner Zhao Rong
was very warm. She showed
Jiao around the Ancient Shuhe
Town, such as the museum
there. One night, Zhao invited
Jiao to go out playing with her
local friends whom are from
Naxi ethnic group. Jiao said
when he playing with the Naxi
guys he learned more about
their culture and customs.
“Naxi people are very good
at drinking and they have their
own character-- Dongba char-
acter,” said Jiao.“But since
Dongba character is a picto-
graphic character, most people
don’t know how to pronounce
it.”
Other than helping guests to
make friends with local people,
Zhao Rong also holds many
activities at inn, such as BBQ,
making dumplings and playing
games so travelers can share
their experience with other
people and make friends in the
inn.
Therefore, when people live
in these inns, they usually feel
warmly welcomed. This is also
the reason why a lot people
love to live at inns.
Being a couch surfer and liv-
ing in inns or guesthouses can
bring a different travel experi-
ence to you. If you really want
to have an enjoyable travel, try
it!
ON THE WAY
10 Travel Girl

13. L
ady boys have become
a well-known symbol
of Thailand. According
to the statistics of Thai gov-
ernment, there are over 400
thousand lady boys in Thai-
land. Most of them are either
dancers, singers, or actresses.
Almost every tourist visiting
Thailand watches the cabaret
show. They have become the
stars of the show and play-
things to visitors.
Chiang Mai cabaret the-
atre
It is obvious that most lady
boys have a difficult life. The
Chiang Mai Cabaret Theatre
has the biggest lady boy show
in Chiang Mai. There are 47
lady boys in the theatre. Let‘s
walk into their life.
Almost all lady boys stud-
ied at a ladyboy school when
they were young. The school
had taught them how to look
like ladies and basic dance
skills aside from the basic
school curriculum.
When they were 18, most
of them were sent to intern at
the Tiffany show in Pattaya,
where they learned how per-
form well.
After that, they are expected
to attend the lady boy beauty
A LIFE
EXPOSÉ ON
THAI LADY BOYS
Photos & text by Scrooge Chen
COVER STORY
Travel Girl 11

14. contest by the age of 20 to try
to become the lady boy queen.
After finishing the contest,
they will start working at the
Chiang Mai cabaret theatre.
Most of them like the beautiful
and quiet city, although they
cannot make a lot of money
working there.
Daily Life
They have to get up at the
afternoon and go to work after
dinner. Every day, a lot of them
need to buy a big bottle of milk
tea before going to the theatre.
"Drinking milk tea can give
you good luck for getting tips,”
said Suyapatta Pashine, one of
the lady boys working at Chi-
ang Mai Cabaret Theatre.
The income for them is very
low. The main income for them
comes from tips for taking
photos with tourists.
People always give them
100THB for taking photos
with them. The theatre only
pay 5000THB (150USD) per
month and most income is tips
for taking photo. Some lucky
lady boy can get as much as
2000THB (65USD) of tips
from just one night.
They would like to go to eat
something with friends after
work. They say it’s the best
time of the day for them. They
like to sitting by river side to
eat and drink.
However, they limit how
much they eat every day to
keep their bodies thin. They
usually sleep very late.
Sex trade
Some of them will wait for
the audiences to find them and
carry on the sex trade. This
is done after the show, where
some male audiences will add
the lady boys to their social
network and ask them after the
show. Audiences coming from
China will connect them by
WeChat and ask them if can
they could offer sex trade.
“Sex trade is also the main
income for lady boys,” added
Pashine.
Some audiences who are
very curious about them pay
them money to take their
clothes to check their gender.
They are boys originally and
they understand how to make
men feel good during sex. So
many men also want to pay
some money to enjoy the spe-
cial services provided.
Some people even want to
take them back to their country.
However, few lady boys are
willing to go with them, be-
cause they think they will be
discriminated in other place.
They also know these tourists
just treat them as a means to an
end or as pets.
Short life
Lady boys could only work
for a few years. After 30 years
old, they will look like old
ladies and could not work the
shows anymore. They need
to work every day and make
enough money for the rest of
their life. They are also eager
to find love.
Most lady boy have a very
short life because of the clash
of their hormones. If they don’t
do the transgender operation,
they may not live to more than
40 years old.
They need to eat or inject
female hormones every day to
get good skin and big breasts.
Most people think lady boys
are transgender boys that turn
The wonderful cabaret show
COVER STORY
12 Travel Girl

15. themselves into girls. In fact, it
is not true. Actually, they use
the ‘special underwear’ to hide
their privates such that you
would not even notice it when
they wear bikinis.
The love of lady boy
Lady boy also longs for
love. Pashine has a boyfriend
now.
She said she want to live
with him in rest of life.
Although she is a man in law,
she will do degeneration in
future and marry her boyfriend.
Her boyfriend is a Thai man
who have watched her shows
before.
She said his family could
not accept it when they decided
to live together. But she really
treats him very well and also
treats his family members very
well.
Now his family and friends
all think she can be a good wife
for him. She said she will open
a shop with him in the future.
She doesn’t hope get anymore
from life since she thinks what
she has now is enough.
Her boyfriend is a waiter
at a bar. He also makes little
money per month. She said
she doesn’t mind her boyfriend
having little income.
It’s difficult for lady boy to
find someone to love. People
also can’t accept them from
the ethical perspective. Most
people think they are dirty or
just a plaything.
Pashine with her boyfriend
Lady boy was boy before
COVER STORY
Travel Girl 13

16. The family situation
Pashine said she has a very
poor family, so she goes back
to home every Songkran Fes-
tival (the New Year day in
Thailand). She takes all money
to home and give it to family
members.
She said they need the mon-
ey very much to change their
living condition. Every time
she goes home, she is very
happy. She doesn’t mind the
hardship with the show work if
her family has a good life.
Lady boy in Thailand
Thailand has most lady boys
all over world. The reason for
this is complicated to explain.
The first one is the religion.
Almost all of the Thai peo-
ple believe in Hinayana. The
purpose for the religion is let
people not to influence other
people’s lives. So most Thai
people have a tolerated view
about lady boy.
The second reason is the cul-
ture. Woman has more power
in Thailand. Woman can make
more money in Thailand so
that make many boys born into
poor family would want to be-
come a girl to make more mon-
ey.
The third reason is the huge
sex trade and tourism markets.
Becoming a lady boy can
make a lot of money in a very
short time and the work is very
easy to do. So most lady boy
choose to do the work by them-
selves and are not forced upon
by others.
The limit Policy
An increasing number of
boys in Thailand want to be
lady boy quickly such that they
choose to cut off their testicles.
The Thailand government for-
bid hospitals to do the opera-
tion.
The Government tries to
limit the number of lady boy
now days. Most lady boy are
labelled male in their ID card
and they will be exempted
from doing the mandatory mil-
itary service. It’s difficult for
them to change male to female
according to the laws.
Lady boy are human beings.
They have faceted and colorful
life. If you see them, please
give them a sincere smile.
Thai people believe in Hinayana
COVER STORY
14 Travel Girl

17. Discovering
the Real You
It is not where to go that matters, but who you go with and the experience that matters
By Angelina Yang
Travel Girl 15

18. H
ave ever you met a
situation where your
friends show pictures
they have taken during a trip
on certain landmark buildings
or famous local scenery, but
they are not able to tell you
anything about the story or the
history of the landmark build-
ings. Or when you ask about
how they felt on their travels
or what they had done, their
answer was always about what
they bought or ate.
Traditional means of trav-
eling is to experience culture
and scenery, but people’s de-
mand for travel has changed. A
large wave of mainland tourist
are starting to go to various
travel destinations for making
purchases rather than as an ex-
perience. Jack is a guide who
has lived in Stanford in the
United States for several years.
There, he noticed that many
of Chinese tourists are more
interested in taking pictures at
landmark attractions. When he
takes his tour group to Leland
Stanford Junior University and
introduces the legend of this
university, these Chinese tour-
ists prefer to taking photos and
putting it on their social net-
work to show off. When they
have gone back onto the bus,
they only talk about what their
next destination is, what they
were having for lunch, and
where they could go shopping
for things like cheap iPhones/
iPads. These tourists show ab-
solutely no interest about the
history or the culture in Stan-
ford and Jack was disappointed
in the way Chinese people tend
to travel.
“The way Chinese people
travel is very simple,” said
Jack. “And that is to buy, eat
and take photos to show off on
their social network.
It is not a bad thing that Chi-
nese people have become rich-
er and busier, but there is less
time for people to wind down.
Is this the method of travelling
people should really be pursu-
ing?”
Travel Girls
Chinese people are shopping in the chao phraya river in Bangkok shopping plaza
Photo by Scrooge Chen
16 Travel Girl

19. MAY 2015
Another example of this
would be a recent news article
talking about how Chinese peo-
ple had changed the European
travel industry into an inter-
national shopping carnival. In
Spain, a famous shopping mall
called La Roca Village had at-
tracted more than 3.3 million
shoppers every year, which
makes it became the most at-
tractive place. The amount of
tourists there had exceeded
even the famous Sagrada Fa-
milia cathedral in Spain. Thus,
we can see how important
making purchases have become
for Chinese tourists traveling.
In addition, being a purchas-
ing agent is extremely trendy
now. People are always bring
back goods from certain travel
destinations for a fee, which
might include cheaper clothes,
cosmetics or electronic prod-
uct. This will increasingly
make travelling for the sake of
making purchases an import-
ant ideology for many young
Mainland girls.
The purchasing agent have
opened the doors to a huge in-
dustry, as a Korea guide named
Jin puhui said that there are at
least some purchasing agents in
all of his tour groups who goes
to South Korea just to purchase
clothes and cosmetics.
We can see the huge influ-
ence of purchasing in traveling.
The night scene of shopping street in Busan, South Korea Photo by Angelina Yang
TRAVEL GIRL VOICE
Travel Girl 17

20. Why have purchasing be-
come such a necessity during
one’s travels? A purchasing
agent from Hong Kong named
Liu Xiaoli thinks that the
cheap price must be the most
attractive factor, since people
really enjoy the feeling that
they could buy something at a
much cheap price even though
it is not a necessary at the time.
The second factor might be
that most Chinese people have
lost confidence in the quality of
Chinese products, since there
are too much fakes in the Chi-
nese market. Purchasing these
goods in Hong Kong or other
countries could bring custom-
ers a greater sense of security.
In addition, there are more
international luxury brands in
places like Hong Kong, so the
Chinese tourists can purchase
unique and pricey products
that would not clash with their
friends.
In recent years, there was a
fashionable concept about in-
depth travelling, where people
could spend a week or more at
a single place to learn and to
cleanse the soul. In-depth trav-
elling could bring more pro-
found experiences to one’s life.
A travel enthusiast named
Alice, although still single at
the age of thirty, she has al-
ready travelled to twenty-eight
countries and she has visited
some of these countries more
than once. She likes taking
pictures at landmarks, but her
pictures are unique and artistic
and she never miss any local
cultural details. When talk
about her age and the reason
why she does not care her mar-
riage, she said how travelling
and experiencing this world
has deeply affected her and
made her truly believe that
there is no absolute rule in life.
One will realize what he or she
truly really want after much
experience and thought.
Gansu Sichuan Cultural Town Photo by Angelia Yang
Two kissing girls Photo by Scrooge Chen
TRAVEL GIRL VOICE
18 Travel Girl

21. To experience the Hanbok Photo by Jacqueline Qiu
Alice’s experiences had real-
ly inspired other people, where
although making purchases in
foreign countries is attractive,
but people need to realize what
truly is important and what one
needs to learn from travelling.
Here are several recommen-
dations about in-depth travel
from Alice.
First, the best way to re-
cord your wonderful memory
in a foreign country is if you
have a camera, some beauti-
ful clothes, accessories and
comfortable shoes. Alice is
always very beautiful with a
strong personality in her pic-
tures. She always poses with
big smile and is very creative,
since she can pose in front of
any backgrounds. All of this
could help you to record every
happy moment during travel-
ing. Alice believes recording is
an extremely important part of
traveling.
Second, there are two ways
one can travel: one could ei-
ther travel alone or travel with
friends. When you choose to
travel alone, it could be a great
chance to listen to your inner
voice and this could give you
another kind of feeling about
the scenery you see. Alice re-
ally loves to travel alone. She
would not feel bored and she
thinks travelling alone could
make her stronger.
On the other hand, if you
choose to travel with your
friends, it could also be an ex-
tremely unforgettable and hap-
py experience. Sometimes, you
and your friends might meet
some problems or difficulties,
and after you solve everything
together, you could learn how
to be patient and take care of
each other in a strange place.
You could also become better
friends.
Third, when you are in
Rome, do as the Romans do. It
means you have to respect and
understand the mannerism in
the local culture. Try your best
to learn more about the local
stories and culture and you
will see a completely different
world.
Traveling should be a won-
derful experience. Ignoring the
great feeling of making pur-
chases and you could gain so
much more from traveling. It
is not where to go that matters,
but who you go with and the
experience that matters.
Go cross those many lands,
and try to find the real you.
TRAVEL GIRL VOICE
Travel Girl 19

22. T
he world is in love with
the selfie stick.
Being the portable
pole that enable users to cap-
ture a wider and more complete
photos without the awkward
extending arm at the side, the
device have definitely changed
the idea of taking selfies. No
longer do photo takers need
to ask passerby to take their
memorial photos for them, but
they now could get all the con-
trol they want with just their
front phone camera. For travel-
ers like Linpei Zhang, the sel-
fie stick is a must have during
extended trips.
“The selfie stick is definitely
something I’d bring with me
on my travels,” said Zhang,
recalling packing the extend-
able pole on her recent trips to
France and Rome. “You could
get wider shots of the landmark
and essentially better photos.”
Although used for mainly
photography purposes, Zhang
might find her selfie stick
banned from a number of tour-
ist destinations. Similar to tri-
pods and monopods in terms of
its extendable and photography
functionalities, many museum
authorities believe the selfie
stick takes up additional public
space, which create increased
possibilities for tripping. In
music festivities and sporting
events, the raised selfie stick
used for photography and
videotaping have been said to
create unappreciated viewing
experience.
With the selfie stick be-
ing framed as an object that
introduces risk in damaging
historical relics, disrupts visit-
ing experience, and produces
injuries to fellow visitors, it is
unsurprising that an increasing
SELFIE STICK BAN:
FACT OR FICTION?
Photos and texts BY Jennifer Chiu
TOP TOPIC
20 Travel Girl

23. number museums and music
festivals have started banning
the selfie stick from their ven-
ues.
This list includes some of
the most well-known tourist
attractions out there, with the
19 Smithsonian museums in
the United States, the Palace
of Versailles in Paris, and the
Roman Colosseum being some
of the few that are closing their
doors on the selfie stick. Music
festivals like the O2 Arena in
London and sporting events
like the Wimbledon tennis
Championshipsare some re-
strictions that might point to
new areas where the stream of
banning might start.
For Zhang, although she had
not faced much restrictions
on the use of her selfie stick
during her trips to France and
Rome, she believes it is in-
deed inappropriate to use selfie
sticks in venues such as muse-
ums.
“Usually, selfie sticks are
best used for capturing a large
group of people or providing
a wider backdrop for photos,”
said Zhang. “It seems entirely
unnecessary for tourists to use
such a device within a muse-
um, since taking pictures with
museum exhibitions is rather
unconventional.”
On the other hand, for Tsin-
ghua architectural engineering
student Thomas Wu, the ban-
ning of selfie sticks is unneces-
sary since he believes the situ-
ation is still under control. As
a frequent visitor of Beijing’s
Palace Museum in the Forbid-
den City, one of the museums
considering banning the use
of selfie sticks, visitors using
selfie sticks within the museum
still stands in the minority.
The selfie stick is officially a
must have item when hitting the
road
TOP TOPIC
Travel Girl 21

24. “While there are many vis-
itors using the selfie sticks
outside the museum,” reasoned
Wu, “there is not too much of
a problem with visitors using
them inside of the museum. I
do not think the museum have
a problem with selfie sticks on
their hands. In fact, they are
even selling selfie sticks in the
Palace Museum.”
As for selfie sticks creating
possible damage in its use
among museum exhibits, ac-
cording to Wu, they theoreti-
cally should not be able to do
too much damage. “A selfie
stick is quite a handy object to
carry around,” said Mai. “Un-
less there is intention to cause
damage by the owner, the like-
lihood of causing serious dam-
age to exhibits is quite low.”
Especially since there are
rarely any reports of people be-
ing injured or museum exhibi-
tions being damaged from the
use of selfie sticks or any men-
tion of museum goers mention
having their selfie sticks reject-
ed from exhibition venues, it is
difficult to imagine these tour-
ist areas having such a tight
crackdown on the use of selfie
sticks or selfie sticks being a
new destructive element in
museum and crowded events.
It is as Pulitzer Prize-winning
Art and Architecture Critic
Philip Kennicott had put it in
the Washington Post, where the
series of selfie stick banning
stories earlier this year had felt
‘like a slightly manufactured
controversy’.
This is particularly true for
South Korea’s selfie stick con-
troversy, where the outlawing
of illegal selfie sticks spun out
of proportion in international
media. Back in 2014, due to
the incorporation of Bluetooth
technology to set off the cam-
era, South Korea’s radio man-
agement agency have officially
labels selfie sticks as a type of
‘telecommunication device’
which must be tested and reg-
istered with the agency to re-
ceive approval for sale. Due to
the incorporation of Bluetooth
technology, the agency believes
such signals may interfere with
other devices that are operating
at the same radio frequencies
and may create unwanted dis-
Selfie sticks can be helpful in getting great photos as it gives more control to the photographer
22 Travel Girl

25. of ₩30 million Won or ¥170
thousand Yuan.
While legally speaking,
South Korea is setting up laws
and regulations in controlling
unregistered selfie sticks, but
the actual situation does not
seem to be the case.
According to Seuol resident
Junhee Co, the outrageousness
of selfie stick bans just have
not caught up with the locals.
“I see shops selling selfie
sticks and Bluetooth remote
controls on the street every-
where and they don’t seem to
be registered,” said Co. “I have
never seen people getting pun-
ished for selling selfie sticks.”
With the lack of any major
raids and without any evi-
dence that South Korea’s reg-
ulation against selfie sticks are
being rigorously enforced, it is
tough to say whether the coun-
try’s newly added law is just
backless policies. Although not
heavily enforced, at least for
Co, some good might come out
of this policy.
“I think it is about letting
people realize they need to be
careful,” said Co. “I heard in
some countries, they banned
selfie sticks at certain places
because they can be quite dan-
gerous.”
However, the big question
still remains: Would these bans
against selfie sticks discourage
visitors from using them in
tourist destinations?
For veteran tour guide Yi
Liu, the answer is a definite no.
Liu, who have led tours with
Mainland Chinese tourists
around Southeast Asian coun-
tries like South Korea, could
not be more familiar with selfie
stick weilding tourists running
around various attractions.
Even after the introduction
of selfie stick bans in South
Korea, the phone apparatus
have not left the tour scene one
bit.
“Aside from special events
like fan gatherings and special
events that guarantee much at-
tendence," said Liu, "we don't
expect the sticks to be banned.
But even with the new regula-
tions, the scene in tourist areas
are not going to change. Hon-
estly, what are Chinese tourists
ever afraid of?”
Liu believes selfie stick bans would not discourage visitors from using them in tour sights
TOP TOPIC
Travel Girl 23

26. Reality Show
Style
Traveling
M
uch tourism-related Main-
land Chinese reality shows
have been popping up over
the past few years. For examples in
Zhejiang TV’s ‘Running Man’, famous
singers and stars would go to different
cities to play games, while in Hunan
TV’s ‘Dad, Where Are We Going?’, fa-
mous stars would go to farms, valleys
and other tourist attractions to fulfill
various tasks with their children to-
gether.
These kinds of reality shows have
won great ratings. According to the
official site, ‘Dad, Where Are We Go-
ing?’ Season 2 got the rating of 4.2
percent and the share of 16.58 percent
when it was premiered on 2014 June
20th, which broke the records of do-
mestic TV show’s premiere rating.
Travel Girl picked up 20 young peo-
ple between 16 and 30 years old off
different professions in the Hong Kong
Airport and Shenzhen Airport. Now
let’s have a look at how those reality
shows affect their choices in traveling.
By Jacqueline Qiu
TOP TOPIC
24 Travel Girl

27. I
have watched every episode of ‘Running Man’
and I really liked that one time when they went to
South Korea and ate many local snacks in a very crowd-
ed market. I am taking a flight to South Korea and I am go-
ing to enjoy the same food in the same place.
I think reality shows have affected me quite a lot. It is re-
ally fun to look for the same food the stars have eaten on the
same streets they have been at. Because of those shows, my
trip have become more interesting and have more things to
be excited about.
I also like watching ‘Divas Hit the Road’. Maybe after
my trip to South Korea I will plan another trip to Europe. I
like traveling overseas a lot.
Vivian Zhao
Female
24 years old
Foshan, Guangdong
Designer
Taurus
TRAVELGIRLINTERVIEW
Alice Ye
Female
21 years old
Chongqing
Student
Gemini
I
am always affected by traveling programs. There were
some traveling programs hosted by Arthur Chance on The
Travel Channel several years ago. My first self-planed trip
to Beijing was totally under the guidance of his programs.
Today’s reality shows have changed. They are kind of weird,
superficial and sometimes false. The real meaningful things in
traveling are put aside while the reality shows are paying much
attention on highlighting the character of the TV stars and the
conflicts between them. I wish there could be more and more
TV shows that talks about traveling seriously, introduces more
useful information and tells people more cultural things.
Frank Wu
Male
29 years old
Taipei, Taiwan
Lawyer
Sagittarius
T
he most popular Chinese reality show in Taiwan might be Dad,
‘Where Are We Going?’. I like the Taiwan star Jimmy Lin and
his cute son Kimi.
Many of my friends are watching this show. We have learned much
about the beautiful scenery in mainland China like the snow country
in Heilongjiang and Tiankeng (heaven’s hole) in Chongqing. If time
permits I would like to bring my family to go there.
TOP TOPIC
Travel Girl 25

28. Hottest
Desitinations
-Picked up from reality shows
Travel Girl has counted three most popular attractions among
our interviewees that led by reality shows. Let’s have a look at
which places that have appeared on the reality shows appeal to
today’s young people most.
1
26 Travel Girl

29. ITALY
Feartured on: Divas Hit the Road
City: Rome, Florence
Food: Pasta
E
urope gains the most popularity among
our interviewees in response to the ques-
tion “which place do you want to go for
a travel most in reality shows” and Italy ranks
the first among European countries.
The Republic of Italy mainly consists of
Apennine Peninsula, Sicily Island and Sardinia
Island. Italy covers 301,338 km2 area and has
population of 61,049,883. Playing as the role of
the cradle of European culture, Italy was the or-
igin and the center of Renaissance. Today, there
are also a lot of historical constructions and art-
work being kept in Italy, reminding people of
the long history of the old nation including the
symbolize of Ancient Roman: Empire Roman
amphitheater, the forth biggest cathedral in the
world: Florence Cathedral, etc.
By the way, you can also drop by the mini
country inside Rome city: Vatican.
The Vatican Museum is an important place you
cannot miss.
2.Roman amphitheater
3.Inside Rome: The Vatican Museum
4.Italian couples on the street.
1.Florence, Italy
2
3
4
All photos provided by Elaine Hu
Travel Girl 27

30. SOUTH KOREA
Featured on: Running Man
City: Seoul, Busan
Food: Fried rice cake
R
epublic of Korea covers 100,210 km2, have a pop-
ulation of over 50 million, and is one of the Newly
Industrial Economies. When talking about South
Korea, most people might think of kimchee, idols, plastic
surgery and Samsung.
Seoul, the capital of South Korea also the biggest city
in South Korea, cannot be more befitting for young ladies.
You can buy any skin care product and cosmetics you like
at a relatively low price. In addition, the popular SNS App
LINE’s headquarters is located in Seoul.
Busan is the second large city and also the biggest coastal
city in South Korea. In here you can enjoy the most locally
featured seafood. Haeundae is a typical tourism attraction
of Busan. Young visitors also like taking photos in Gam-
jeong culture village.
Reality show Running Man is originated from South Ko-
rea. Thus, in the special episode, the whole crew went to
South Korea and introduced many characteristic foods to
audiences like fresh shredded beef and fried sweet cake.
1 2
3
4
5
1.2. Busan Gamjeong culture village
3. The cake store appeared in 'Running Man'
4. The owner is adding sugar into the cake.
5. The molecule ice cream
Photos provided by Angelina Yang, Jacqueline Qiu
and Jennifer Chiu
28 Travel Girl

31. Featured on: Dad, Where Are We Going?
City: Shuangfeng forest farm, Xiahailin city
(Snow country)
Animal: Siberian roe deer
S
huangfeng forest farm, which is also
called ‘snow country’, is located in north-
ern China. ‘Snow country’ covers 500
hectares areas and has an average elevation of
over 1000 meters. In here the snow period is up
to 7 months and the thickness of the snow can
reach 2 meters.
Reality show ‘Dad, Where Are We Going’
season one made its last episode here. In this
episode the children have played with the sil-
ly-looking, but cute ‘Paozi’. Actually the scien-
tific name of ‘Paozi’ is Siberian roe deer. Sibe-
rian roe deer are mainly distributed in areas like
Siberia, Europe, Mongolia, and Northeastern
China. It is listed as protected animal by Chi-
nese government.
After this episode premiered on TV, the ‘snow
country’ had suddenly gained much popularity.
In the following Chinese New Year holiday, ho-
tels here were full in a very short time.
It is hard to say whether the increasing tourists
will destroy the ecotope in ‘snow country’, but
it is indeed a place that worth visiting. The most
suitable time for visiting this place is January,
February, March, November and December. Do
not forget bringing your thickest clothes, gloves,
cap and sunglasses.
HEILONGJIANG
(CHINA)
1. The country is covered by snow.
2. ‘Snow country’is surrounded by forest.
3. Sled is the main transportation for ‘snow
country’residents.
Photos provided by Cecilia Luo and Tony Liu
1
2
3
TOP TOPIC
Travel Girl 29

32. TRAVEL GIRL