michaelyang Like 0

We have just returned from a very short visit to Xi'an and were luckily enough to have found Michael Yang as our tour guide. His excellent English, wealth of knowledge and experience, and his attention to detail were second to none.  After meeting us at the airport on our day of arrival he gave us a brief talk on the history of the City and sahowed us the City Walls by night. Next day for 11 hours he guided us through the wonders of the Terracotta Warriors, found us a real local restaurant in a side street near to the museum as we had requested; onwards to the City Walls where he encouraged us to hire bikes even organising the deposit on our behalf, and then to the Moslem Quarter, the Bell and Drum Towers. At 7pm he was still offering to show us more if we had wanted - and all at the basic price he had charged for the day. 

A modern comfortable car, with iced drinks and even cold flannels in in the ice-box, this man had though of everything.  A credit to to the tour guide profession,

I'm a little slow with writing this review but better late than never.
At the end of Dec 2013 I travelled with my husband and 2 boys (13,10) to Xian as part of our 5 week holiday.
The Terracotta Warriors were the main reason for our stop in Xian and it was important that it was enjoyable and hassle free. While planning the trip I found Michael on this tour guide site and was impressed with his reviews. The following email contact that followed with Michael was thorough and very friendly.
Michael arrived at our accommodation exactly at the time agreed and was so friendly and warm, with great English. His vehicle was, as promised, of a great standard and comfortable and clean. We drove out to the Terracotta Warriors and once inside the complex and looking around, which is just spectacular, it was a major benefit being with Michael. His information of the site and the stories he told really had both boys and us very intrigued and interested, which was extremely important when travelling with kids. Our experience at the site was really fantastic and a huge part of that was down to having Michael as our guide.
We drove back to the city and went to visit a Taoist Temple which was fascinating and a great opportunity for our boys to see a different religion. To point out, everything we did in our day was completely our choice but we did follow Michael's great suggestions.
From there we went to the Muslim Quarter street markets, which was the most fantastic experience. Michael introduced us to some delicious foods and explained all the great variety of what was being sold in the stores. He was very helpful to our boys when they were buying their souvenirs to help them get a fair price.
The day with Michael was a highlight of our whole trip and I can not recommend him enough for any form of traveller. We found him especially great with our boys and they really took to him as a friend.
Thanks Michael

My girlfriend & I recently spent three days in Xi'an. It was my girlfriends birthday on the day that we arrived & unknown to her I had arranged for Michael to meet us at the airport, take us to our hotel then take us on a tour to the Terracotta Museum the next day. I had bought a Chinese SIM card in Beijing so I texted him the day before we arrived to request he make himself known to us by holding a plaque with my girlfriends name on it. He duly obliged & I was made up to see the look of surprise on her face when she saw her name. Michael introduced himself & led us to his car which was clean & comfortable. He even provided us with drinks from his cool box & a wet towel to freshen up with after our flight.
When we arrived at the hotel (Soffitel) we arranged a time to meet the next day with Michael for the trip to the museum then said our goodbye's. As we were checking in to the hotel, the concierge came to the desk & wished my girlfriend happy birthday. He said our driver had told him & to which the hotel staff followed suit. After a quick check of her passport they upgraded our room & told us there will be a cake sent to us in a couple of hours which reduced my girlfriend to tears of joy which I had never seen before.
As others have mentioned on this site, Michael is passionate about his job & the city that he lives in. His English is very good, he is punctual, a safe driver & his knowledge of the area & local attractions is second to none. We also went for the belt noodle lunch which was fantastic & the restaurant staff very friendly. I honestly can't rate Michael highly enough. Even on our last day there, he arranged for one of his drivers to take us back to the airport after a late request from us. Nothing was a chore for him.
Having read a few articles on Michael before our visit & since our return I know this was not a one off. If you are going to hire a tour guide you expect good knowledge & courtesy which he has in abundance but sometimes it is the little things that make a trip more memorable. If visiting Xi'an don't look any further than Michael.

Hello,

I took help from Michael for my recent trip to Xi'an. He was helpful, knowledgeable with excellent English skills. Our short trip to Xi'an was made a very nice and memorable one. He also arranged taxi to airport even though he was busy on that day.

I highly recommend Michael for your trip to Shaanxi and Xian. Thanks Michael for your excellent hospitality ...

My friends and I went on a tour with Michael on May 12-13th and he was the most helpful guide I have ever encountered.

Here are my reasons for recommending him:
   * forward-thinking
   * punctual/reliable
   * knowledgeable
   * no tourist traps
   * helpful
   * 5-star service

Our itinerary plan:
   * Eat Biang Biang Noodles
   * Terracotta Warriors
   * Big Wild Good Pagoda
   * Tang Dynasty Dinner Show
   * Hike Huashan

When we arrived at the airport, Michael introduced my friends and I (four of us) to his driver, who helped drove our luggages in a separate car to the hotel. This would allow us to save time so we could start our tour immediately and comfortably as we travel in Michael's brand new Camry (forward-thinking)

We wanted to try the famous Xi'an Biang Biang Noodles, so he took us to a local restaurant. It was cheap and at the same time, delicious and the noodles were handmade! He sat with us and taught us how to eat the noodles (no tourist traps).

Our next stop was the Terracotta Warriors. He gave us a guide around and explained to us some of the historical highlights (knowledgeable). He was with us the whole time we were there, so we could ask any questions or take group photos for us. He chasing all the touts away as they harassed us.

Initially we wanted to see the Big and Small Goose Pagoda, but we took up his recommendation of skipping the Small Goose Pagoda. And believe me, it was the right decision. Having to see one Pagoda was enough (helpful).

Then he got us some discounted tickets to see the Tang Dynasty Show and waited outside for us in the evening until our show was finished, and then drop us back to the hotel.

When we were at the hotel, we were having some difficulties checking in because the hotel lost our reservation. Michael was there to help us spoke to the hotel staff on our behalf (helpful).

In the next day, Michael was up early and arrived at our hotel very punctual (reliable/punctual) to drive us up to Huashan (about 1.5 hours each way). He bought the tickets for us and even gave us a guide before we embarked on the journey ourselves. He advised us to leave our bags at the hotel lobby, and he would get his driver to come pick them up at the end of the day to meet us at the train station to save time (forward-thinking).

Michael went above and beyond our expectations. I could not believe he actually got us chilled mineral water ready when we first met him, and had even prepared some cold coffee before we started our tour at the Terracotta Warriors. He also provided us with a cold towel each to freshen ourselves up (5-star service).

Before we embarked on our journey to Huashan, he again got us bottles of water ready, along with some cold coffee and Sneaker Bar chocolates (5-star service).

As he dropped us off at the train station, his driver and him got down to send their farewell and provided us some tips navigating the train station. It felt like family members bidding us goodbye, as they waited until we disappeared into the station.

I would seriously recommend Michael to everyone who is keen to explore Xi'an comfortably. Very pleasant and patient man. Speaks very good English. Reliable. There is nothing more I can ask.

We travelled to Xian in November 2013. Michael met us at the airport and whisked us off to a wonderful Restaurant where we experienced the best noodles ever.

We then went to the Warriors which was wonderful. Michael knew so much and made our tour very interesting.

Michael then helped us find our accommodation that I had previously booked. He had already been to see where it was and how to check in which made it very smooth and the preparation he had done was very welcome.

The next day we visited two temples. One off the beaten track which was by far more interesting than the larger more visited Wild Goose. We also cycled the city wall which was lovely.

I would say that Michael was a wonderful guide and will take account of all you want to do and adapt to your requirements.

Brilliant guide.