Jenny’s Guide to Finding a good Ayi in Shanghai

Jenny Zhu Posted in China, life, Shanghai，Tags: ,
12 December 2011
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One of the major benefits of living in China is the readily available pool of affordable help. They are mostly women of all ages coming from rural China in search of a better life in cities. Many middle class Chinese families and expat families in Shanghai rely on their ayi (阿姨/āyí) to clean their house, cook their food, wash their clothes and raise their kids. My life would be radically different without the help of 2 great ayis. One is a 钟点工(zhōngdiǎngōng), who comes in for 4 hours everyday to do household chores including cooking. The other is a live-in nanny who helps take care of my 1-year-old son.

Finding the right ayi can often be an ordeal for both Chinese and foreigners alike. Of course much more so for foreigners. I’ve heard many stories of expats paying US rates to their ayis in Shanghai. So I want to share some tips on where to find an ayi, how much you should pay and how to manage and work with them.

1. Where can you find an ayi?

There are plenty of 保姆介绍所(bǎomǔ jièshàosuǒ) or ayi agencies in Shanghai, mostly nestled in the cheap end of residential areas.  Look for 6-story housing projects or a local wet market, you are likely to find an agency nearby.  You can find all types of ayis, hourly ones, live-in child caretaker, live-in elderly caretaker and even one to clean your office.

You can also find ayi’s online on sites such as 58.com or baixing.com.   Many agencies now list their ayi’s online. But some of these tech savvy agencies or individual ayi’s might charge you a higher premium, which brings us to the next point.

2. How much does an ayi cost?

Costs vary depending on the type of work they do and the type of arrangements you make, e.g. if you employ someone for 2 weeks or come in for a few hours per week, the rates will be higher than someone who comes more frequently. 

  • Hourly based (钟点工/zhōngdiǎngōng): this is the most common type of ayi. They come in for several hours everyday to do household chores. As inflation soars in China, the wages of lower end labor has increased significantly in the past year. Last year, the average salary of an hourly based ayi was around RMB12/hour. But this year, it’s at RMB15.  The type of ayi who also cooks and cooks well could command an even higher salary to around RMB 20. My ayi who cooks for us gets RMB1700 for 4 hours everyday from Monday to Saturday.  But some ayi’s who have worked for you for a few years and are in good terms with you might work for less. (The ayi who has worked for my parents for 10 years is working for RMB12/hour because she gets along with them very well). And if you are just looking for someone very short term or come in for a few hours every week, you could be paying around RMB20-25/hour.
  • Live-in child caretaker: this is a highly sought after type of ayi as many Chinese parents both work and it requires more skills and experience than someone who just cleans.  I have been very blessed with the nanny situation. My nanny, Xiao Wang was the first nanny I hired and she has been working for almost a year now. When she started in February this year, she asked for RMB2500/month. 5 months onwards, the market price has risen to about RMB2800 to RMB3000. So I gave her a raise. And next year, she will be getting RMB3200 because this is what the market price is. So I’d say anything between RMB3000-3500 is a reasonable number in Shanghai now. If you have more than one young kind, expect to pay around RMB5000. But sometimes the nanny would refuse higher rate and insist on you hiring a second nanny.  I have to say though live-in nannies are no easy feat. They practically work 24/6 tending to your child and help with minor household work. (Usually they take a day off each week).
3. Job Responsibilities
This is a crucial issue to clarify with your nanny at the very beginning. The convention in China is that ayi’s are specialized. So the hourly based ones just clean and cook. The live-in nannies just take care of kids. If you ask one to do the other type of work, they are likely to refuse. My nanny made it abundantly clear that she would’t clean and cook, because they were not part of her responsibilities.  And in the case of a small child, I doubt she would find the time to do those anyway. However, if your kids are older, aka. started going to preschool, some nannies transition their role to help you with more household work. There are more versatile type of ayi’s who multi-task. But those are slightly harder to find and they charge more (cheaper than to hire 2 though).
4. Age, experience and personality
From my experience, the hourly based ayi’s tend to be middle aged (40 and above). While the more experience the better, there’s no need to be over-obsessed with experience because it’s relatively easy to learn how to mop and vacuum. Live-in child caring nannies tend to be younger as the job requires more energy and a higher level of education. I also found that it is much easier to communicate with a younger ayi (my live-in nanny is 30) because they tend to be more open-minded, plugged into the world and more confident. My nanny loves eating pasta and has worked in Thailand. Another great benefit is that younger nannies tend to communicate with your kids better. My nanny treats my son almost like a buddy. When it comes to personality, it’s safer to go with someone not overly enthusiastic and confident. My mom once hired an ayi who was extremely affable and talkative at the interview. But 2 months into the job, she wanted a raise and threatened quitting.
4. Raises and Bonuses:
There was a time when wages stayed flat for 2 or 3 years for ayi’s. But not lately. The rising cost of living in China makes a compelling case for a raise. My experience is that ayi’s won’t be shy of asking for raises unless they’ve worked for you for many years. But often Chinese ayi’s raise request could come in the form of resignation. Don’t take it too literally or as an offence. It’s often their awkward way of asking for more money. Should you give it to them? Usually if you are paying the benchmarks I’ve given, it’s fine for at least 6 months to a year. And if an ayi asks for a raise within 6 months of employment,  you have to find a compelling enough reason such as the market price is rising or she has done an amazing job (but even the latter doesn’t qualify for a raise so soon).
In general, you should give your ayi some bonus over Chinese New Year. If she’s only been with you for a few months, RMB200 would be fine. If she’s been with you longer and does an amazing job, you could max it out to an extra month’s salary. But that’s rare and not expected. I also give my live-in nanny a small bonus (RMB100) on Mid-Autumn Festival and Children’s Day (to buy gift for her daughter).
I’d also suggest giving your ayi’s some small gifts such as your hand-me downs if they are in good condition.
5. English skills:
This is an area that I don’t have experience in. But obviously ayi’s who can speak or understand some English or operate Western appliances and cook Western food could justifiably charge a premium. But I feel it should not be more than double of the rates mentioned earlier.  
6. What if your ayi quits?
Understand the cause. Is it about money, workload, distance or personal circumstances? If it’s about money, keep it fair based on the market price. And should your ayi quits,  don’t panic. It’s relatively easy to find hourly based ones. But if your nanny wants to quit (whom you like), try your best to make them stay.  And you can always get ayi to refer their friends for you.
On a final note, many ayi’s would take up to 20 days or even a month off during Chinese New Year. Make prior arrangements. But bear in mind that it’s very hard to find a temp because almost all ayi’s go back.

Top 5 Gifting Taboos in China

Jenny Zhu Posted in China, culture, tradition，Tags: , , ,
09 December 2011
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Gifting is an essential part of Chinese culture. It comes with many idiosyncrasies that one should be aware of and observe. Some things are strictly “NO” as a gift choice in China, mostly because they sound like something else which is ominous. In this post, I will share a few most prominent gifting taboos in China.

1. Clock: although clocks are not really a top gifting choice to begin with, it’s a categorical ”NO” in China, because the Chinese for clock is 钟/zhōng and to gift a clock is 送钟/sòngzhōng, which sounds the same as 送终/sòngzhōng, meaning to say goodbye to someone who passed away. Although intricately made clocks were a popular Western gift to Chinese emperors during the Qing Dynasty, they are avoided at all cost in contemporary China. Giving clocks is the capital taboo. Giving watches is fine though.

2. Apple: an apple a day might keep doctors away. But in Shanghai, you should never bring apples to a patient because apple in Shanghainese (bíngù) sounds like the Mandarin word 病故/bìnggù which means to die from an illness. The good news is in other parts of China, this rule does not apply.

3. Green hat: this is probably the most well-known Chinese gifting taboo. 戴绿帽子/dàilǜmàozi/to wear a green hat is an expression referring to a man whose wife is cheating on him with another man. It is seen as the ultimate insult to a man.

4. Umbrella: the Chinese for umberlla is 伞/sǎn, which sounds like the word 散/sàn/to separate. But this is a minor offence  on the scale of gifting taboos.

5. Pear:  to stray a little from gifting but staying in the theme of things that sound ominous, Chinese believe that a pear shouldn’t be shared among families and friends because to share a pear is 分梨/fēnlí which sounds the same as 分离/fēnlí/ to separate. It goes against the traditional ideals of social structure in China. However, this is not strictly observed in China nowadays.

There is a surprising curve ball in gifting: miniature “gift coffins” are a symbol of prosperity.  棺材/guāncái/coffin sounds like 官/guān/officialdom、财/cái/wealth. Some government officials with a good sense of humor like being given mini gift coffins. But don’t try it randomly. This is an esoteric gift.

Lastly, should you be wondering what gifts to buy for a Chinese friend, I’d suggest giving things that Chinese are wary of buying in China. For example, health supplements are an excellent choice because the local marketplace is rife with fake products and they work on different ages and genders. A few bottles of DHA and multi-vitamins will make you a very savvy gift shopper.

The Cult of Celebrity Teachers

Jenny Zhu Posted in China, inspiration，Tags: , , , ,
04 November 2011
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I believe in edutainment, especially for the adult learner who is juggling competing time demands and would opt for a Cold Play song rather than a Chinese lesson on their iPhone. To some extent, teaching is attracting. The best teachers are those who thrive under the spotlight, who own the lecture hall, who inspire students to give up evenings at the bar for the classroom. And no one does edutainment the way cram schools in Hong Kong do it. If there’s not already an HBR case study on them, there ought to be one.

On a recent trip to Hong Kong, I witnessed the power of edutainment and the cult of celebrity teachers. On street billboards and bus ads, huge posters of celebrity teachers exude the confidence and glamor of A list movie stars. And A list they are in their own right. There are over a dozen superstar teachers in Hong Kong who bank over HK$1500 million a year. They do well when the economy is good and even better during downturn. They pull in tens of thousands of students each month, travel from one school branch to another with their lectures live broadcasted in other locations in Hong Kong.

While the success of celebrity teachers largely depends on what they can help students deliver, the star making efforts behind the scenes are also indispensable.  In Hong Kong, the two largest cram schools are two publicly listed companies, Modern Education and Emperor Education, the latter belongs to a huge entertainment conglomerate. They pluck potential candidates and put them through intensive academic training as well as personal rebranding. Each teacher is given a carefully crafted classroom persona and thorough styling guidance. Their photo portfolio is updated every season to ensure their image reflects the latest trend. Why? Hong Kong cram schools figured out that the best way to make a teenager sit in a classroom rather than being at a pop concert is to make the teachers look and act like a pop star. Imagine what would happen to junior high maths competency if Justin Bieber taught teen girls maths?

An average Hong Kong middle class family spends about $300/month on a cram school for their kids. Schools that glam up can charge an even higher premium. But more importantly, the celebrity teachers are not just fluff. Beneath the hair gel and lipstick are Ph.D degrees from top universities and excellent track records in student success rate.

No longer do teachers conjure up dowdy images of unionized workers, Hong Kong shows how education can be sexy, desirable and edutaining. Students want to be in class and learn while the best and brightest aspire a teaching career. Perhaps it takes a little dumbing down to make things smart.

 

10 Wonderful Chinese Words without English Equivalent

Jenny Zhu Posted in China, ChinesePod, culture，Tags: , ,
26 October 2011
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A recent blog post wonderfully captures the idiosyncrasies of languages. Titled “15 Wonderful Words without English Equivalent”, the author lists phrases in a dozen languages packed with social, philosophical and anthropological back stories whose wonderfulness are lost in English. My instinct to this quirky list is let’s make one for Chinese!  Of course most chengyus and suyus fall beautifully into this category, but I am talking about basic, high frequency words that you struggle to find an English equivalent. Here’s my own list to get the ball rolling. Please add yours in the comments!

1. 客气 (kèqi): often translated as “polite”, this word is a fine specimen of Chinese culture. 客 means “guest”, 气 means “chi” or “an air of”. So 客气 means to act as if you were a guest. It’s often used in the phrase 别客气(bié kèqi/don’t be so guest like). The irony is in most cases, the recipient of the phrase is indeed a guest. However, since Chinese culture prides itself on being hospitable, we want guests to not feel like guests. That’s why Chinese are always trying to get guests to eat more, drink more to the point of pushiness.

2. 辛苦(xīnkǔ):  It means to work  laboriously, be it manual or intellectual. Often used in the phrase 辛苦了(xīnkǔ le), which is an acknowledgement of one’s hard work and contribution.  I feel it’s almost the Chinese version of “great job” or “well done”.

3. 小吃(xiǎochī): often translated as “snacks”. These are little dishes  or nosh often eaten on the street and are representative of the local food culture. Examples of Shanghai 小吃 include 小笼包(xiǎolóngbāo/steamed dumplings). In Beijing, it’s various sorts of 串儿(chuànr/sticks of food).  小吃(xiǎochī) can come in all sizes, shapes and forms, making it hard to translate.

4.  馋(chán): this means you are easily tempted by food and always want to eat. However, it doesn’t mean you are hungry or an over eater. Rather  you see food as a form of entertainment rather than just necessity, but you are not quite a refined foodie. We often use this word to describe kids and teenage girls since they always want to eat or snack in order to entertain themselves.

5. 鲜(xiān): another food term. This flavor is hard to describe. It’s the taste and sensation of MSG if it were natural and healthy. It’s not just salty or savory. It has more substance. Although 鲜doesn’t describe sweet taste, a dish can be unsalted but extremely 鲜, for example, Chinese style chicken soup or hairy crab. The more well known Japanese version is umami.

6.  山寨 (shānzhài): if you live in China, you are probably no stranger to this relatively new term. It’s not knock off products. It’s products entirely “inspired” by a famous counterpart. However, these 山寨 products usually have their own brands, e.g. “Adibas” or “uPhone”.

7. 气质(qìzhì): this means an intangible quality one carries as the result of a good upbringing and education. If a woman 有气质, it means she is not necessarily beautiful, but has a lot of substance and elegance. The example I often use to explain this word is Hilary Clinton有气质, Kim Kardashian没有气质.

8. 没办法(méibànfǎ): literally “no solution”. It’s a sense of disappointment and acknowledging that life has its limits.  It’s one of those words that truly reflect the national psyche of China.

9. 上火(shànghuǒ): ever heard of eating spicy things, chocolate or mandarin oranges will ignite your “internal fire” and cause you to have pimples or constipation?  You may call it pseudo science, we live by it to balance the ying and yang in our body.

10. ? Let me know your wonderful Chinese word without English equivalent.

 

 

 

Why don’t Chinese Like Camping?

Jenny Zhu Posted in China, culture，Tags: , , ,
17 October 2011
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A recent ChinesePod lesson had a few students asking me why Chinese people don’t think camping is fun. (I  made the claim in the lesson podcast.) First, this is gross generalization. Of course many Chinese love camping. But I don’t think camping commands nearly as much respect in China as in North America. This got me thinking how Chinese see the outdoors and our attitude towards leisure, the city and the countryside in general.

From grade school, we are told the fundamental difference between developing and developed nations is the difference in living standards between the city and the country. The Chinese countryside was generally pretty impoverished until recently. And a large part still is. That’s why a lot of people don’t have a romanticized vision of the Provence-like countryside. On the contrary, many do their best to get out of the country. And even city dwellers who were not born in the countryside, the realities of the Chinese countryside are often synonymous with dire living conditions. As idyllic and beautiful as they may be in natural beauty,  they are simply not places for leisure. Although the essence of camping is to embrace nature, it is a post modern concept that serves  urban middle class’s needs to replicate a life style within the bounds of modern comforts and basic necessities. Without such basics, few would volunteer to experience nature au naturale.

Although living standards in rural China have improved leaps and bounds, the “rebranding” has yet to catch up. But I must say that the urban middle class has indeed begun to rediscover the country evident in holiday destination choice and the unrelenting development of holiday resorts in the countryside.

However, fundamentally Chinese see going to the countryside as downgrading not upgrading. Most people think someone should pay them to sleep in a tent not the other way round. That’s why they don’t think it’s worthwhile to invest in things such as camping. Why would you pay for a worse lifestyle? Chinese will spend money on outdoor activities as long as they involve air conditioning, mattress and professionally cooked food. That’s why people would spend a few thousand RMB on hotel stay, but not a few hundred RMB on proper outdoor gear. We don’t respect the countryside and nature enough to do that. That’s why you will continue to see Chinese women in high heels or other forms of ridiculously inappropriate outdoor gear unless Gucci starts to produce hiking boots. 

Beautiful China Part 1: China’s Gary Vaynerchuck

Jenny Zhu Posted in China, culture，Tags: , , , ,
26 August 2011
4

The subject is not China the country, but china as in 瓷器/cíqì/. Before I go any further though, I must declare that I hardly knew anything about this topic until reading China’s most famous antique collector 马未都/Mǎ Wèidū/Ma Weidu’s books on pottery. These two books are such page turners (who would have thought?) for even the most pedestrian readers. Mr. Ma to antique in China is what Julia Child is to French food or Gary Vaynerchuck is to wine in America. He has unrivaled expertise in the field and has an astounding ability to present any topics in an engaging and relatable way.  I have learned more about Chinese history, philosophy, aesthetics and culture from them than I ever did in school. If you are reading my blog, chances are you have some level of interest in China. In a time when most media coverage about China is about the current booms and busts, I strongly feel there is a side of China that’s much more substantial, intellectual and timeless lost in the discussion. Whether China was under dynastic or Communist rule, 瓷器/cíqì/china has kept its dignity and charm. This is largely why Mr.Ma has become a household name in China. People want to understand more about who we are and what made us who we are. And I think this pursuit is worth sharing with people outside of China as well. Without much English available for Mr. Ma’s books, I decided to use my limited skills to summarize and translate his work on china.  And in the words of the author himself, “should you find pleasure in reading my work, it’s not the messenger but the message that struck a chord with you.”

Before we start with his thoughts on china, I want to share a bit about the author:

马未都(Mǎ Wèidū)

  • Born in Beijing in 1955, Ma started his antique collection in the 1980s, when he was a literature editor. 
  • Normally to be a collector, one either has precious family heirlooms handed down or a lot of money. Ma has neither, which is why he is affectionately known as a “grassroots” collector. Mr. Ma attributes much of his success to his love for Chinese history and being born at the right time.
  • When he started to collect in the 1980s, there were very few people interested in antiques in China as the country had just come out of the Cultural Revolution when antiques were either destroyed, confiscated or hidden. The pubic consciously shied away from both the cultural and monetary value of antiques. Mr. Ma was thus able to build a significant and extensive collection of primarily china and antique furnitures for very little money.  
  • As Ma Weidu became increasingly interested in antiques and spent most of his free time and money on collecting, he finally quit his job and dedicated himself to his collection.
  • In the 1990s, the number of his collection surpassed 1,000 and he noticed that many people were eager to know more about antiques and their stories. It prompted him to open China’s first private museum-观复博物馆/Guānfù Bówùguǎn/Guanfu Museum in Beijing in 1997. The word 观复/guānfù/ comes from Dao De JingLaozi’s (Classic of the Way and Virtue). It means looking back.
  • As China’s economy booms,  people increasingly turn to the past for wisdom, inspiration and of course investment purpose. One could argue that such a demand made Mr. Ma a prolific media figure in China while his tireless work also helped bring antiques to the mains street on the other hand.
  • Mr. Ma frequently appears on TV and gives talks about collecting. He also blogs about a wide range of social issues. His various books on antique collecting and Chinese culture and history are frequently on the best seller list in bookstores across China.
  • Here is a collection of Ma’s videos if you are interested.  

 

 

The Art of Hinting in China

Jenny Zhu Posted in China, ChinesePod, cultural differences, culture，Tags: , ,
15 July 2011
3

The Chinese have mastered the art of meaning one thing when saying another. You need to read between and behind the lines to know what they really mean. I share a few classic examples in this ChinesePod blog post to help decipher the code in the message.

Homosexuality and Christianity in China

Jenny Zhu Posted in China，Tags: , , ,
01 July 2011
11

Many things are of a different numerical scale in China such as the length of high speed rail and the number of tweets on  Sina Weibo, China’s Twitter copycat.  It’s hard for regular Twitter users to imagine  5-digit-retweets. But on Weibo they often are. With over 100 million registered users, Sina Weibo  has disruptive powers. Lately what has dominated the sphere is a rather unlikely topic of discussion in China: homosexuality and Christianity. The Weibo that started the debate was written in response to New Yor’s same sex marriage legislation. A user by the name of “Pastor Feng” wrote what effectively means “God have mercy on New York. Homosexuality is a sin.” Original words: ”纽约州议会昨晚通过了同性恋婚姻合法化提案。这是美国第六个通过类似法案的州，也是最大的一个州。求神怜悯这片日益堕落的土地！即使有一天若这里法律规定反对同性恋会被判刑，我也仍然要传讲：同性恋是罪。神爱罪人，但神恨恶罪！信靠耶稣，胜过罪恶，出死入生。”

 

The message was retweeted by Chinese actress Lv Liping who also followed with a comment in support of his remarks. She also rallied other Weibo users to spread the words. Comments and retweets soon reached thousands. But what truly escalated the affair into a fierce media war was when famous Taiwan media personlaity and author Cai Kangyong, an openly gay public personality commented on Lv’s Weibo and called her a bigot. Within 16 hours, Cai’s Weibo was retweeted over 80,000 times, starting what could well be the most extensive and high profile public debate about homosexuality and Christianity in China.

As a Christian in China, it is worrying to watch  the incident unfold. China is a country where most people have little knowledge of Christianity. But many also tend to have a positive perception of the religion, associating it with benevolence and tolerance.  I recently took my sister in law visiting from Vancouver to my church in Shanghai, a multi-denominational congregation. She was shocked to see such a young crowd (20 to 50 years old) with a live band, people reading Bible on their iPads and belting out hymns with the zeal in a Karaoke bar. She commented that it felt like a Deepak Chopra conference she had been to. In no attempt to oversimplify the matter, but I do feel that many Chinese embrace Christianity the way many Westerners do new age spiritualism. It is a symbol of progress and post-modernism, the way many in the West see Buddhism. People in general don’t view the church as they are often viewed in the West. The skepticism is reserved for the Communist Party. All of these positive impressions helped Christianity to experience exponential growth in recent years, especially among educated urban middle class. And faiths in general do not dominate the public discourse and pass moral judgment so much in China, one could argue to their benefit and detriment at the same time. And many Chinese have found their own ways to reconcile fundamental conflicts like evolution, Communist past and even homosexuality with their faith. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing dare I say.

A Guide to Shanghai’s Taxis and the Legend Behind One

Jenny Zhu Posted in China, culture, Shanghai，Tags: , , , ,
23 June 2011
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In Shanghai, taxis are gentrified by different colors. I for one would rather wait for 10 minutes for a white cab than settling with a red cab. What’s the deal with these color coded messages? Why are golden taxis superior to green ones?

Read this blog entry on ChinesePod to find out why. And what started as a practical guide to taking taxis in Shanghai ends up revealing a precious part of the city’s history and identity, one involves a legendary hotel and a mafia lady.

The Mystery of PVG Terminal 1 and Terminal 2

Jenny Zhu Posted in China, Shanghai，Tags: , , , , , ,
20 June 2011
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Ever since the Pudong Airport expanded to the second terminal, there seems to be a conspiracy against letting you find out which terminal your flight leaves or lands. Over the past weekend, I had another “which terminal” incident as I was trying to pick up my sister-in-law traveling on a Cathay Pacific flight. Her e-ticket left no details about the terminal as often the case. It must be one of the most frustrating things when your taxi driver is pressing you, “几号航站楼?/Jǐhào hángzhànlóu?/Which terminal” while you frantically tries to google on your smartphone to no avail.

After a few attempts, I have finally found a useful list of terminal information. Although it is in Chinese, the essential info like carrier abbreviation and the words T1, T2 are all in English for you to understand.

Another great resource to look for flight details is ctrip, China’s largest online travel service. Although their website does not allow you to search for terminal information, I have found their call center to be a quick way of inquiring about terminal and other types of information, e.g. delay, etc. Call 4008206666. That’s how I found out Cathay was at Terminal 2 in PVG. BTW, English service is available. But registered for an account first. They also have apps for Android and iPhone.

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