By Doyice Cotten

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Last week we addressed some common risks for tourists traveling in China; this week, we will address a few more hazards and some signage challenges. Risk management signage in tourist areas is common, however, they may not always be clear due to translation or language differences.

In Photos 1 through 6, one can see that the English translation is not quite the same as what we would say. They do, however, generally get the point across. The first three are warning about danger of falling into the lake. Photo 4 was taken in the Huangshan Mountains instructing tourists to not try to scale the cliffs or not to climb on the rocks. Photo 5, of course, warns photographers to watch where they are going – a good tip. Photo 6 apologizes to tourists for the inconvenience due to construction.

Photos 7 and 8 depict risk management on the stone streets of an “old town.” Note the pegs inserted between some of the stones to prevent an uneven or wobbly surface. Photo 9 shows a tree leaning over the walkway in a popular park – no problem if you are looking where you are going and not at the lake or Chinese tourists. Photos 10 through 13 show a detour where the park is improving the path in a mountainous area. Note the treacherous entry to the detour in 10 and 11. In Photo 12, one of the workers is chipping on a stone and chips were flying amongst the passing tourists. And finally, Photo 13 illustrates how closely the tourist must pass to the ongoing construction.

Double click on photo to enlarge.