The Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center by the Qiantang River, with its petal-shaped “Big Lotus” stadium and the dynamic design of the “Little Lotus” tennis court, has long become new landmarks of Hangzhou. This place is not only the main venue of the Asian Games but also a popular spot for tourists to take photos. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people come here to see how the “Big Lotus” was built and to experience the hustle and bustle of the event venue. Just before the installation of the Yingmi Z60 self-service tour guide system, the scenic area was always worried about the reception issues: during the peak tourist season, there weren’t enough human tour guides, and tourists had to wait in long queues. Foreign tourists couldn’t understand a single word of Chinese when looking at the introduction board of the venue. Those who want to stroll leisurely are urged to follow the fixed guided tour route. It was not until this system, which can “rent by oneself, speak by oneself and switch between multiple languages”, was implemented that all these troubles were solved. Now, tourists can scan the code to rent the audio guide and listen to it wherever they go. The ingenious design of the venue and the wonderful moments of the Asian Games can all be clearly heard.
I. The “difficult matter” of reception at Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center: The story of a good venue cannot be spread
The Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center is not merely a sports venue; it also needs to accommodate visitors. The demands of visitors are particularly diverse: some want to know how the steel structure of the “Big Lotus” was built, some want to relive the scene of the track and field final of the Asian Games, and foreigners want to learn about the environmental protection technology of Chinese sports venues. However, the old methods of guided Tours simply cannot meet these demands.
1.It’s even harder to find a tour guide during peak season than to “grab tickets”
There are many core visiting areas in the Olympic Sports Center. Inside the “Big Lotus”, there are athlete passages, VIP seats, and competition venues. Outside, there are the “Little Lotus”, a swimming pool, and the Asian Games Museum. Just the “Big Lotus” alone has more than ten detailed points. During the peak tourist season, over ten thousand people come in a day, but there are only about twenty human tour guides. They can lead at most four groups a day, and most tourists can only wander around aimlessly.
Manager Zhou, who was in charge of the reception, talked to us about the National Day incident last year, full of helplessness: “A family brought an elderly person here, wanting to hear why the petals of the ‘Big Lotus’ were designed this way. They queued for an hour but didn’t get a tour guide. The elderly person’s legs were so sore from standing that they could only walk around casually in the end. Before leaving, they said,’ It’s such a pity that I didn’t understand such a beautiful place. ‘” ” What’s even more frustrating is the event explanation – when tourists asked, “Who won the championship in the sprint final of the Asian Games?”, many tour guides couldn’t answer and could only say, “I can’t remember.” The tourists were not interested in hearing this either.
2. Foreign tourists “can understand the scenery but not the language”
In recent years, Hangzhou has become increasingly international, and more foreigners have come to the Olympic Sports Center. There are tourists from Japan, South Korea, Europe and America. However, the guided tour service in the scenic area failed to keep up: The venue signs were only in Chinese and English, and some translations were even strange. “athlete passage” was translated as “Athlete Passage”, and foreigners had no idea at all that this was the path that athletes were preparing to take before the competition. Only for major events are foreign language guides temporarily hired, and most of them can speak Japanese or Korean. European and American tourists who want to know the wind-resistant technology of the “Big Lotus” can only make wild guesses with translation software.
Once, a German tourist named Thomas was taking pictures of the steel structure on the “Big Lotus” stand and asked through a translation software, “How much wind can this roof withstand?” The software translated it as “How much wind can this top resist?” The staff looked at it for a long time before they understood. After the explanation, Thomas shook his head and said, “If there were a German explanation, I could know more technical details.”
3. Joining a tour group is like rushing to a market; you just can’t slow down
The tourists who come here have a very different pace: some want to check in quickly, some are sports fans who can stand in front of the medal cabinet in the Asian Games Museum for half an hour, and there are also families with children who want to play in the children’s area for a longer time. For group Tours, you can only follow a fixed route. Those who want to go slow will be urged, and those who want to go fast will have to wait.
Mr. Zhang, who came from Shanghai, is a sports fan. He had been on a tour group before and was just about to see how the LED screen of the “Big Lotus” worked when the tour guide shouted, “Everyone, hurry up and follow us to the swimming pool.” He had to leave in a hurry. Later, he joked online, “We were like catching a train and didn’t have much fun at all.”
4. The old equipment is heavy and difficult to manage, and the scenic area has to “patch up holes” every day
Previously, the scenic area tried using ordinary self-service tour guide machines, but there were a bunch of problems: the machines weighed over 500 grams, and after hanging them around the neck for half a day, they felt suffocated. Charging requires plugging in wires one by one. It takes two people two hours to manage 60 devices. It’s also prone to damage on rainy days, and a single repair costs several thousand yuan. Ten units were lost in half a year, which was a considerable loss.
“During that period, I was worried every day. I was afraid that the tourists wouldn’t be guided and that the equipment might break down,” said Sister Chen, the operation supervisor. “It wasn’t until I met Yingmi Z60 that I realized how worry-free the tour guide could be.” “
II. Yingmi Z60: Addressing Difficult Problems Makes Guided Tours Simpler
Yingmi’s team didn’t push the equipment as soon as they arrived. Instead, they stayed at the Olympic Sports Center for a week: following the tourists throughout the entire journey and noting down the questions they often asked. Measure the signals at the stands and passageways of the “Big Lotus”. After inquiring clearly about the multilingual requirements, we finally decided on the Z60 self-service interpretation system solution – from rental to interpretation, every design aspect precisely resolves the troubles of the scenic area.
1.Scan the code to rent and you don’t have to wait for 24 hours
Yingmi has placed several Z60 self-service rental lockers at the entrance of the scenic area, the ticket gate of the “Big Lotus”, and the entrance of the Asian Games Museum. Some can hold 24 lockers, while others can hold 64. Even during peak season, they are sufficient for rent. Tourists don’t need to download the APP. They can scan the code on the cabinet with wechat or Alipay, pay the deposit and select the language. They can get the audio guide in one minute. Even the elderly can learn it.
The audio guide I got is extremely light, weighing only 27 grams. It uses a bone conduction non-in-ear design. When hung on the ear, it feels like wearing a small pair of headphones. I don’t feel tired even after a whole day of browsing. Sister Chen said, “Nowadays, during the peak season, there’s basically no need to queue up in front of the rental cabinets. At most, over 300 units are rented out in a single day, and the staff no longer have to help with registration or finding equipment.”
After use, you can just find any rental cabinet to return it. The system will automatically calculate the cost (half the price of a human tour guide), and it can also automatically charge and disinfect. When the next person takes it, the equipment is fully charged and clean.
2. Just talk as you go without pressing any buttons
The most convenient feature of the Z60 is its “automatic explanation” – the technical team installed signal transmitters at 15 core points in the Olympic Sports Center (such as under the “big lotus” petal, the Asian Games medal cabinet, and the diving platform in the swimming pool). When tourists wear the explanation devices and approach 0.5 to 1 meter, the equipment automatically recognizes the position and starts the explanation without pressing any buttons.
When you walk under the petals of the “Big Lotus”, the commentator will say: “This facade has 28 large petals and 27 small petals, made of aluminum alloy. It is light and wind-resistant, and will change color under different light. It is the logo design of the Asian Games…” ; When they reach the medal cabinet in the Asian Games Museum, they would say, “These are the gold, silver and bronze metal of the Asian Games. The back is engraved with the pattern of ‘Surging Tide’, like the waves of the Qiantang River, with the characteristics of Hangzhou…”
The technical team also specially optimized the signal. Even in the corners of the stands or underground passages, the audio guide can accurately sense it and will not miss or skip the lecture. Mr. Li, a tourist from another place, said after renting a Z60 and strolling around, “It’s like having a professional tour guide following me. I don’t have to rush. I can clearly understand the design of the ‘Big Lotus’ and the story of the Asian Games.”
3. Multilingual + bone conduction, even foreigners can understand
In response to the large number of foreigners, the Z60 supports eight languages (English, Japanese, Korean, French, Spanish, German, Russian, and Arabic), and it is not a rigid translation. For instance, when explaining the environmental protection technology of the “Big Lotus”, the German commentator would say, “This solar system is similar to that of the Munich Stadium, but it can supply 30% of the venue’s electricity.” The foreigners understood immediately upon hearing this.
Bone conduction technology is also very useful: you don’t need to put headphones in your ears. You can clearly hear the explanations and also hear the surrounding sounds, making it safe to walk around. When there are many people and it’s noisy, the audio guide will automatically increase the volume. German tourist Thomas, after visiting the swimming pool in German, said, “I spoke German very standardly. I explained the height of the diving platform and the water circulation system in detail. It was even more comprehensive than the information I had looked up.” Now, the satisfaction rate among foreigners has increased by 70%, and many people are even Posting videos on social media platforms about “renting a Z60 to visit the Olympic Sports Center”.
4. Durable and energy-saving, it saves the scenic area a lot of trouble
For scenic spots, the “easy management” of Z60 is of utmost importance. The device is IP65 waterproof, so you don’t have to worry about moisture even when wearing it on rainy days. The shell is shockproof and won’t break even if it accidentally drops to the ground. It hasn’t been repaired for half a year.
Leasing cabinets is also convenient: a 24-port one consumes at least 1.44 kilowatt-hours of electricity a day, and a 64-port one only consumes 70 kilowatt-hours a month, saving half the electricity compared to ordinary equipment. The cabinet can automatically charge and disinfect, eliminating the need for staff to do it manually. Sister Chen said, “Previously, it took two people to manage 60 old devices. Now, it only takes one person half a day to manage 100 Z60s, and there’s no need to worry about them being lost or broken.” “
In the background, data can also be viewed: which rental cabinets are used more frequently, which language tourists prefer, and for how long they are rented. The scenic area can adjust its services based on these. For instance, when it was found that there were many people renting near “Big Lotus”, two more rental cabinets were placed. Knowing that English and Japanese are used frequently, I added more bilingual explanations for the events.
Iii. The current Olympic Sports Center: Tourists enjoy their visit and the scenic area is managed smoothly
The Z60 has been in use at the Olympic Sports Center for half a year, and the changes are particularly obvious. The average stay time of tourists has increased from 2 hours to 3.5 hours, and the proportion of “deep tourists” who can visit more than 8 guided tour points has risen from 35% to 70%. The complaint rate has dropped from 18% to 3%. Now, most of the tourists’ complaints are about “hoping for more explanation points”.
Mr. Zhang, a sports fan, rented a Z60 and spent four hours strolling around. He even went to the underground equipment room of the “Big Lotus” : “Before, I couldn’t get in with a tour group. Now I can take my time to look around and listen to how the equipment operates. I’m so satisfied.” ” Parent-child families are also happy. The children, wearing audio guides, will proactively ask, “How do athletes train?” After the tour, they can even tell their parents stories about the Asian Games.
The scenic area has also saved a considerable amount of money. The cost of guiding Tours has dropped by 50%, and there is no need to hire more tour guides. There is also no loss of equipment. Services can also be optimized based on the back-end data. For instance, an environmental protection technology display board has been added to the “Big Lotus”, and a children’s interactive area has been set up in the Asian Games Museum. As a result, tourists are more satisfied.
Now, this system at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center has become a model for other sports venues. The Bird’s Nest in Beijing and the Guangzhou Olympic Sports Center have both come to inspect it. In May 2025, it was also selected as a “National Smart Tourism Demonstration Project”, and even foreign sports venues came to ask about cooperation.
Conclusion: Smart tour guides accompany the Olympic Sports Center, with every detail telling a story
people wearing Z60 audio guides listening to architectural stories on the “Big Lotus” stand. Lao was listening to the English commentary outside while taking pictures of the Asian Games MEDALS. Parent-child families gathered around the audio guide, chatting together about the wonderful moments of the Asian Games. The sunlight shone on the petals of the “big lotus”, and the sound of explanations mixed with the exclamations of tourists made it particularly lively.
Yingmi has always believed that good tour guide equipment is not a burden but a bridge that helps tourists understand the scene and culture. In the future, we will further improve the Z60, such as adding AR functions, allowing tourists to view virtual images of the Asian Games events. Add more minor languages so that tourists from all over the world can understand the story of the Olympic Sports Center.
Whether it’s the “Big Lotus” in Hangzhou or sports venues and scenic spots overseas, Yingmi hopes to rely on devices like the Z60 to ensure that every detail worth mentioning can be heard clearly and remembered, making every visit warm. Next time you visit Hangzhou, why not start by renting an Yingmi audio guide? Let every step of your exhibition visit become a journey of “dialogue with history”.
Yingmi Customer Service Hotline: 400-990-7677 Official website: www.it2002.com, always ready to provide you with exclusive tour plans.