Eyes up for the Expo ayi

• Source: Global Times
• [13:10 May 31 2010]
• Comments

Ayi Si takes a Brazialian family's infants to play at the Huashan Greenland, Changning district. Photos: Du Qiongfang

By Du Qiongfang

While Shanghai's makeover for World Expo 2010 seemed a most logical thing, though a bit overplayed, some transformations that are Expo-driven can truly leave you speechless; the Chinese ayi, for instance.

Now, excellent cooking and cleaning skills can wait. Knowledge of Chinese culture, history, the art of story-telling, singing and dancing are some of the new skills that will help them get attached to a family visiting the Expo for work or for leisure. And the reward? Well, it surpasses imagination. Expo ayis can earn up to 7,000 yuan ($1,025) per month compared to others who earn 2,500 yuan ($366) to 4,500 yuan ($658)per month.

For years, an irreplaceable part of expat families in the city and increasingly also in local Shanghainese homes, some ayis are turning over a new leaf. They are learning new skill sets to enchant the families that have plans to stay here for about six months for Expo-related work. In the process, these ayis are setting a new trend in their domain.

Rise of the new force

Most expat families in the city rely heavily on ayis and they keep the home and hearth going. Their roles are clearly defined: cooking, baby-sitting, cleaning and helping with the shopping. So what brought about the rise of this new multi-talented, diverse work-force?

With the Expo 2010 being held in the city, from the beginning of the year more and more foreign families have made Shanghai their base. Some of the families have been sent to Shanghai for the construction of Expo pavilions and others have come in as tourists. Most of them stay at serviced apartments which provide cleaners and cooks so that their basic needs are taken care of.

Hence, the basic responsibility of housework that an ayi usually undertakes is not so crucial for these families. But as quite a few families have children tagging along, the need for ayis who can watch the little ones, keep them engaged by teaching Chinese language and culture is growing.

The agencies that provide ayis found foreigners coming up with unusual demands as Expo activity began in earnest. Families wanted ayis who could speak foreign languages and also knew about Chinese history. The demands grew and became more varied.

Unique requirements

The new ayi is more like a family assistant entrusted with the task of arranging and supervising the activities of the family during its visit to the city.

"The ayis working for foreign families stationed here especially for the Expo, are all selected with great care. They need to display excellent language skills and sound management ability," Kong Jing of American Sino Expatriate Assistance Professional told the Global Times during the interview.

The ayis are expected to have some basic knowledge of the World Expo and be acquainted with related information about where and how to get tickets, how to make reservations for visiting a pavilion and interestingly, how to cut down the waiting times in queues.

These skills are elementary. The frills come by way of knowing how to book hotels, make reservations and plan transport. Because the families are not staying in Shanghai for a long time and want to travel within and outside Shanghai on a relatively tight schedule, they need people who know Shanghai and the surrounding cities. The new "Expo" ayi is the answer.