I had picked Jin Xu from a number of TourHQ options for a private tour since her written English was very clear. On a Friday evening, Jin showed me around the former French Concession area in Shanghai and ordered food for us at a local restaurant. We then visited the beautiful Yu Gardens, all lit up for the upcoming New Years celebrations. I appreciated that Jin spelled out the English meaning of the things we saw along the way.
The next morning we stepped on a high-speed train from Shanghai to Suzhou, about a 35 minutes ride, to see the lovely Humble Administrator garden. It was busy by the time we arrived but doable. Jin was able to explain the names, meanings and backgrounds of all the different pavilions and places in the garden, which was very nice. We ate lunch ("mandarin fish", a local specialty) at a nice restaurant before taking a Taxi to beautiful Tiger Hill with a pagoda and surroudning park. Coming back to downtown, we took a leisurely stroll between the various artsy and touristy shops of Pingjiang road before heading back to Shanghai.
Jin's verbal and written communication in English was good, and she was well-prepared for the trip. She showed a good aptitude for organizing the trip and she went out of her way making sure everything went smoothly, including purchasing upfront tickets. I would not hesitate to hiring her services again. She was able to provide me with a really good personal viewpoint of living in Shanghai a Suzhou and their cultures. Thank you!