The foreign ‘Beijinger’ helping tourists in Beijing

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Wearing a volunteer's hat and waistcoat, 62-year-old Terry Crossman answers questions from tourists at Houhai Lake in Beijing. Though tourists often doubt whether or not he'll be helpful, they're quickly dispelled when he answers in fluent Chinese.

62-year-old Terry Crossman has lived in Beijing for more than 20 years./ Weibo Photo

This is the third time Terry has been on duty during National Day. He will volunteer four hours that day, answering questions from hundreds of tourists from all over the China.

Terry’s Chinese name is Gao Tianrui and he's lived in Beijing for more than 20 years. In March this year, Terry has finally fulfilled his Chinese dream of becoming a public security volunteer. He joined a team of security volunteers in Xicheng district, becoming a member of the "Xichengdama" (elderly women volunteers).

"Gradually I saw that it is a good thing for retired seniors to come out and help others," Terry says. "I live in the hutong (alley) and my neighbors and I usually help each other. This is where I live, where my friends are and where I call home."

In 1973, Terry took a cargo ship to Taiwan’s National University to learn Chinese. A captain on the ship suggested that he should have a Chinese name. "He named me Gao Tianrui, based on the pronunciation of my English name," he said.

After Taiwan he worked in several places, including New York, Singapore and a 12 year stint in Hong Kong. Terry first came to Chinese mainland’s Shanghai and Suzhou in eastern Jiangsu Province in 1981.

Terry and his family moved to Beijing in 1997, when the city was less crowded than it is today. "There were only two subway lines, with no air-conditioning," he said.

Terry came to Beijing in 1997 and hasn't left since./ Weibo Photo

He has made Beijing his permanent home.

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