Turning city streets into living stories

When 19-year-old Clarisse Le Guernic arrived in Shanghai from France in 2015, she was shy and only had the courage to order a simple plate of egg fried rice at a local restaurant. To avoid speaking more than necessary, she stuck to the same dish every day — for an entire month.

Though small, this routine helped her slowly overcome fear and build confidence in a new language and culture. "China changed me," she said with a laugh. "It made me realize how important it is to connect with local people in a new environment."

That experience sparked a larger transformation. Today, at 29, Le Guernic is the founder of Arcade Experiences, a Shanghai-based company that offers immersive "citywalk "tours — guided walks through the city's lesser-known histories and overlooked corners. Her tours attract both local and international participants.

About half of her clients are Chinese, thanks to her fluency in Mandarin — a skill she began developing in middle school. "I chose Chinese as my second foreign language. It felt magical — completely different from other languages I'd studied," she said. "Not many students chose it, so it felt like a cool secret language."

A short study trip to China during high school left a deep impression on her. She later returned in 2015 as an exchange student at Fudan University in Shanghai and made the city her permanent home in 2019.

In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic halted international travel, Le Guernic came up with a new idea: curated city walks for people living in Shanghai. "Since these visitors are already familiar with the city, I wanted to create something different," she explained. "I focused on lesser-known spots or untold stories hidden in popular areas."