Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
CHANGCHUN, May 8 (Xinhua) — As dawn broke over Mount Taishan in east China’s Shandong Province, 26-year-old Wang Yang packed his backpack with essentials such as a first aid kit, trekking poles and sugar candies to replenish his energy.
He is preparing to lead a family of five on a six-hour climb to the summit, his seventh tour group over the five-day May Day weekend that ended Monday.
Wang Yang is part of a growing trend of “climbing guides” – people who keep company as they explore China’s scenic beauty spots. The new profession, which attracts students, mountaineering enthusiasts and guesthouse owners, offers personalized services such as route planning, photography and even “encouraging verbal therapy” to hikers along the way.
Charging service fees ranging from 400 to 1,500 yuan (US$55 to US$208) depending on the difficulty of the route, some such guides manage to earn up to 30,000 yuan a month.
The emergence of the new profession reflects a broader boom in tourism. For example, in the first quarter of 2025, Taishan was visited 1.27 million times, up 12.6 percent year-on-year. In 2023 and 2024, the mountain was visited more than 8 million times annually.
“The move towards personalized and specialized services also reflects a significant increase in consumer demand,” said Wang Yang, who, thanks to his newfound knowledge of emergency medical care, was able to help revive a tourist suffering from hypoglycemia.
About 1,000 kilometers away in northeast China’s Jilin Province, 50-year-old Yu Wei sat in a ski resort cabin, studying a thick stack of work notes. A technician by training, he played a key role in developing China’s first national standards for “ski patrol rescuers,” a newly recognized national profession.
When Yu Wei entered the industry in 1995, China’s ski resorts relied on equipment donated by foreign countries and had few active holidaymakers. But that all changed after Beijing won the 2022 Winter Olympics in 2015, and ski visits to the country’s ski slopes increased to 234 million in 2024-25.
“Now that 70 percent of skiers are snowboarding and trying difficult tricks, rescue work requires new skills,” said Yu Wei, whose team has developed protocols such as the “18-minute golden patrol cycle” to meet the changing demands of the sport.
The emergence of new roles in the tourism industry, from food reviewers to sports technicians, reflects broader changes in society. Song Zhiqiang, a popular content creator from Yanbian Korean Autonomous Region (Jilin Province, northeast China), has turned food vlogging into a powerful marketing tool, increasing local sales and consumption by more than 10 million yuan. Industry data shows that social media influencers like Song Zhiqiang will help the country’s entrepreneurs earn 133.3 billion yuan in 2024.
Since 2019, China has officially recognized 93 new occupations, with the total number of “new economy” workers reaching 84 million people, accounting for 21 percent of the country’s total workforce.
“These occupations are not just jobs; they are indicators of rising consumption levels,” said Zhou Guangxu, an associate professor at the Institute of Labor Affairs at Renmin University of China. -0-