The first group of housekeepers for foreign families in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, have finished their training and started work, said sources with the Chengdu Municipal Employment Bureau.

During the two-month training, these future housekeepers learned foreign customs, hairdressing, flower arrangement, health care and cooking of Chinese and Western dishes. Courses on driving and wrestling were also available.

The advanced housekeepers speak English, know how to use computers and can arrange dinner parties for the family. Their salary is about 3,000 RMB yuan (US$362.7) per month, much higher than the usual salary of 100 RMB yuan (US$12) for common housekeepers.

With the development of China's economy, more and more foreign enterprises are entering the country. By the end of 2001, over 10,000 foreign companies had registered in Beijing. An increasing number of people from foreign countries are living in China.

About 100,000 foreigners live in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province. China's entry into the World Trade Organization will attract 20,000-60,000 more foreigners into the city every year. However, there are only several thousand advanced housekeepers for those foreign families in Guangzhou.

Many high income families also prefer to employ this kind of housekeepers, who can do much more than cooking and cleaning.

Some coastal cities in China even introduced Philippine housekeepers whose salary was 5,000 RMB yuan (US$604.5) per month.

(Xinhua News Agency December 30, 2002)