BEIJING, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Being paid to travel, and scooping a monthly salary of 10,000 yuan (1,613 U.S. dollars) just for taking photos and writing blogs... this is not a dream, but Hao Na's job.
Having traveled to more than 10 different countries throughout Asia and Europe, 28-year-old Hao Na has made a full-time career of her passion since becoming a "travel experience officer" for a tourism website, a job which involves sharing her travel experiences online to lure potential clients.
"Others save money to travel, but I travel to make money," says Hao, who was chosen from among 50,000 applicants to be offered the position in April. "It's definitely my dream job," she adds.
Inspired by the new ways of communication made possible by social media platforms like Weibo, where ordinary people can share their experiences and points of view, China's travel industry has started to recruit individuals like Hao to offer frank and honest advice to would-be travelers. It is proving a good promotional alternative to handing out glossy brochures.
"The job has given me a sense of responsibility when I travel. I am expected to tell other travelers why I love these places and how they can find the special attractions as well as some money-saving tips," Hao says.
Explaining how she beat other competitors to get the job, Hao speculates that it was because of her true love of traveling that comes from a happy heart and mind.
"During the job interview, I showed them a video my boyfriend had made of me in Tanzania," she recalls. "In the video, I was dancing happily with a little puppy. This part impressed the boss. He said, 'If she can dance that happily with a little puppy, she must have a very optimistic attitude to life.'"
Gone are the days of the 1980s when young graduates were assigned to dull working positions in which they had no interest. The development of Chinese society and technological innovation has created a new breed of jobs that can no longer be found under old-fashioned classifications of employment.
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