Ly Sunleng passes love as a tour guide

“I’m liable for protecting cultural heritages,” said Ly Sunleng, a Cambodian tour guide who speaks Chinese serving tourists. He became a tour guide on 2001. Being dedicated to his work in more than 20 years, Ly Sunleng tried hard to let tourists feel the charm of the world heritages and raise their awareness of protecting cultural relics.

At the launch ceremony of the China (Yunnan)-Cambodia Cultural Series on "Visiting Yunnan and Angkor" for Heritage Sites, Ly Sunleng shared his stories. He described his work as tough, because he has to show Cambodian culture to tourist and at the same time, protect the heritage sites as Cambodia has a long history as well as many historical sites. Thus, he often tells tourists not to touch or scrabble on statues of Angkor Wat, the world-famous site.

Meanwhile, Ly Sunleng considers his job as not only a guide but also a “concierge”. So, he keeps smiling to tourists just like the great performance, The Smile of Angkor. “We, Cambodians, are friendly. I think that smiling can pass love and warmth to tourists, so they can enjoy the journey comfortably,” said Ly Sunleng.

Reporting and trans-editing by Wang Yunya from Yunnan Daily