Welcome to Heartbeat, the show that gets to the centre of China's ever-changing lifestyle, but still manages to discover the country's rich cultural heritage. I'm your host Yunfeng.

Today on this entertaining edition of “Heartbeat”, we will take a look at the new trend of microblogging and how it is impacting the Chinese political scene. We’ll follow renowned Chinese pianist Yundi Li to Poland where he recently attended a concert celebrating the birth of the legendary Chopin. And we’ll also take a look at the popular hobby of stamp and money collecting.

But first we meet a Chinese woman who is helping to connect cultures with the operation of her own travel agency in South America. Zhao Xiaoyu did not speak any Spanish before moving to Argentina, but now runs a prosperous travel agency in the country. Many Argentineans have gotten to know China through the bridge built by Zhao. Zhang Cheng has her story.

Report 1: Zhao Xiaoyu, a Woman who Bridges China and Argentina

Reporter:

Zhao Xiaoyu is from northeastern China, a land known for its big-hearted people. She moved to Argentina in 1998, and while running a weekly Chinese magazine, found she was interested in tourism. In 2005, Zhao took over an old travel agency, and has since developed it into a prosperous one, but with a different twist.
Zhao Xiaoyu recalls.

"When I took it over, there were a thousand things needing to be done. Though its basis was not bad, it never went any further because it lacked an enterprise spirit. I can't say it was from scratch, but I did have to awaken something, some very subtle spirits."

Step one was to fight for the right to issue air tickets. But at the first negotiation meeting, Zhao found herself numb as she faced the airline company, because she had no idea about the local aviation lingo. This became the biggest problem Zhao has ever faced.

"I'm not a language major. I learned accounting instead. I did acquire some survival Spanish after I arrived here, but that's just for daily life. The aviation terminology is like a language from outer space. When I first got into this industry, I had to visit the airlines and other travel agencies regularly. Sometimes they threw me a question, and I would get completely lost."

Zhao couldn't escape this problem. She consulted many professionals and learned quickly. Soon she got over the language barrier and the 40-year-old travel agency was then on track for sound progress. Zhao started to think about the target customers of the rejuvenated business.

"I am Chinese. I know China. This fact brought me two huge markets: One is Argentineans who tend to visit China. We can provide them the fundamental information about China, which other local agencies don't have. Another market is Chinese people who come and visit Argentina. We can help them to know more about the country."

More and more Argentineans learned about Zhao Xiaoyu's travel agency, especially those interested in tours of China. Right before the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, three Argentinean couples came to Zhao for advice. They were planning for a book about Chinese culture and wanted a visit to the "real" China, not one put on for tourists.

Zhao Xiaoyu still remembers the 30-plus questions the customers had prepared when they came to her.

"Besides the common questions about a strange place, the questions also included 'Is there any bottled water?' or 'How many biscuits do I need to bring?' which reveals the ignorance about China. They thought China was still rationing food. I told them they only had to bring cash, credit cards, personal stuff and empty suitcases. And I promised they would definitely need more suitcases to take back souvenirs. They really doubted me."

To make sure the group of six got a complete picture of China, Zhao Xiaoyu canceled their full-day tour guide, which was very unconventional. She predicted problems they would encounter in China and wrote down how to deal with them. Besides several must-visit cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, she included small and medium-sized cities in Central China into their journey, too. Thus, the three couples began their semi-independent travel. And when the trip finished, what they said to Zhao Xiaoyu impressed her a lot.

"After they came back from China, I asked them how the trip was. They said, 'you were totally right. We're booking another trip to China next year.' They said Beijing and Shanghai are real metropolises, and other cities all have their own food, customs, dialects and personalities. They realized it was wrong to think that there was only a very tiny area in China that was made bright and new by Chinese government for showcase purposes. "

Zhao Xiaoyu is a reliable friend for Chinese tourists to Argentina, too. She buys electric kettles for them because she knows they are used to drinking self-made tea while Argentinean hotels don't usually provide hot water. She also prepares plugs that fit Argentinean standards just in case.

Ms. Lin is a regular customer. She and Zhao Xiaoyu have become friends through the business.

"She's very thoughtful, very warmhearted. I love booking tickets here. She also tells customers about how to take an air trip, where to get the cheaper ticket, and helps book a favored seat. She's very considerate."

In many people's eyes, Zhao Xiaoyu is a successful woman whose prosperous business is one of the top travel agencies in Argentina. But Zhao herself thinks her most meaningful contribution is bridging Argentinean and Chinese people.

"The best part of my job is to let Chinese people come to the world, to know Argentina and to know the world. And also it allows Argentineans to know more about China, not only the beautiful scenery there, but also the deeper cultural aspects."