Walk in Luxury With Louis Vuitton Soundwalk
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
Imagine talking a tour of Hong Kong with lovely Chinese actress Shu Qi as your own personal guide. Actually, you don't have to imagine anymore because through the Louis Vuitton Soundwalk, a digital audio guide, anyone can listen to Shu's soothing voice as she guides travelers through the streets of Hong Kong.
Luxury brand Louis Vuitton collaborated with Soundwalk, a company specializing in audio walks for urban travelers, to produce digital audio guides to three Chinese cities. The company asked Shu, and actresses Gong Li and Joan Chen to lend their voices for the city guides to Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai.
In a statement, Louis Vuitton said it was only natural to start with a series featuring the three Chinese cities because China is hosting the Olympic Games this year. The Louis Vuitton Soundwalk, the company's first digital product, takes travelers on a unique journey through the Chinese cities.
Shu said she is thrilled to have been asked to participate in the project, especially since it involves Hong Kong. ``Hong Kong is a magnificent city, full of contrasts. I've always loved strolling around its streets... It's kind of my lucky town. I can't get enough of it. All the colors of the city bring back memories," she said.
Louis Vuitton Soundwalk is not just a straightforward travel guide. It features a story synchronized with the itinerary, complete with the natural sounds of the city and enchanting music on the soundtrack.
Shu narrates the sights and sounds along the tour path starting at Luk Yu Tea House, along Stanley Street in Central, Hong Kong.
Shu describes the audio guide as an adventure and ``a bit like a waking dream." ``At the start, you walk around with a pair of headphones; listening to music from an mp3... You gradually enter into the Soundwalk exactly as you would a film. It's a very peculiar feeling. Sliding into the skin of a character and following every one of his steps, sharing every one of his actions," she said.
In Beijing, Gong Li re-visits the Central Academy of Drama while telling an old love story between two young students. Chinese-American actress and director Joan Chen takes travelers through the quaint French Concession area in Shanghai.
Stylish travelers can download Louis Vuitton Soundwalk for iPod, mp3 players and mobile phones on www.louisvuittonsoundwalk.com or www.louisvuitton.com. It is available in six languages, English, French, Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese and Korean. Each audio guide costs $17 and comes with a map.
Soundwalk is described as a ``perfectly synchronized audio journey in which the voice of the narrator geographically guides the physical visitor in real time through an area of a city or a district." It is a pioneer in audio walks for urban travelers, winning the Audie Award in 2007.
Louis Vuitton, established in 1854, is the benchmark in luxury travel. The Louis Vuitton City Guide is celebrating its 10th anniversary in October. A new look for the 2009 edition of the Europe and New York City guides will be unveiled in October, along with a series of individual guides to cities around the world.