In Search of an Amazing Ayi Navigating the complex world of domestic help in Beijing by Ember Swift
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any foreigners arrive in Beijing never having heard of an “ayi,” often first hearing the word first as two English letters: “I” and “E.” In Chinese, “ayi (阿姨)” literally means “auntie” and is extended to mean a domestic helper. Exclusively the realm of women, ayis are most commonly employed for house cleaning, cooking or childcare, and quite often all three tasks. Some even live with their employer families and are called “live-in ayis.”
photos: lova, courtesy of dominika stefaniuk
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May girls 2013(from beijingkids Daytime ayi Liu (left) and nighttime ayi Zhu (right) take shifts in caring for the Stefaniuk left): Elina, Maeva, Anyssa