Domestic helper goes above and beyond to help seniors
Guo Qin offers free massage service to a senior citizen in a community in the Pudong New Area.
Congratulations were showered upon Guo Qin as she arrived at 9am on the dot as always on April 7 to volunteer for a community outreach program in the Pudong New Area.
The 39-year-old is a rare case among domestic helpers, or ayi in Chinese, and migrant workers. Whereas many others are only out earning money, Guo manages to squeeze volunteering into her day as well.
She spends nearly 50 hours a month – equal to five workdays – volunteering to help elderly people.
Guo joined the Communist Party of China last December – the first domestic helper admitted in Shanghai – recommended by the Pudong Domestic Service Association.
When the news reached the Jinyang Xincun Subdistrict, local seniors rejoiced and congratulated her on her new role.
"We were so glad to hear the news. She will be a good Party member," said Jin Genfeng, who's in charge of the community outreach program.
Guo has been involved in the volunteer program for about four years, which was initiated by the Pudong Women's Federation to render care to elderly women who are winners of "March 8th Red-Banner Pacesetters," the highest honor for Chinese career women.
On the first Wednesday of every month, various services such as pedicures, hair cutting and traditional Chinese medicine consultations are available for free to the pacesetters at 1803 Lingshan Road. Guo serves them with tea, massages their feet and cleans up the site.
"She could use the volunteer time to make a buck," Jin said. "It's not a matter of whim. She pours out her soul and wins the hearts of these elderly women. They treat her like their granddaughter."
Gu also caters to the needs of centenarians and veterans who fought in the Korean War in the 1950s.
"Many of them live alone. I do housekeeping, help them take baths and chat with them. It's important to provide them with psychological comfort and relief," Guo said. "Their contributions to the nation really touch me. They're truly heroes. What I learned from them can't be weighed in money."
Guo Qin (right) shares a light moment with an elderly woman during her volunteer domestic service.
Guo admires the Party because she heard many "red" songs and stories in her childhood, but for years she felt too inferior to apply to join the Party.
"It's a very sacred thing. But I'm not well educated and I don't have a 'decent' job," she said. "It's these elderly people who told me that one's character is of sovereign importance, and encouraged me to go all out to get exactly what I want."
In August 2017, she worked up the nerve to submit a handwritten application letter at the site on Lingshan Road. After three years of effort, on December 6 of last year, she became an official Party member.
"Now that I have become a Party member, I have to work harder to improve myself," she said.
Every day during her lunch break and at bedtime, she learns about the Party on Xuexi Qiangguo (literally "studies strengthen the nation"), a mobile app where users study and learn about current Party policies and issues. She nearly always gets the best scores on the app's daily quizzes.
Guo also feels there's a weight on her shoulders, and she plans to spend more time volunteering.
"I should take my social responsibility as a Party member seriously," she said.
Indeed, she has started to lead by example. After learning about her story, more domestic helpers are considering joining the Party.
"Many came to me and told me that from my experiences, they got to know that even grassroots workers can become Party members, including a 59-year-old colleague. It's so pleasing to see," she said.
Working from 8am to 6pm every day, Guo's schedule doesn't permit her to take time off to accompany her son.
"Yes, for the old, I give up my time with the young," she said with a touch of self-deprecating humor.
However, her son totally supports her mother's work.
"I'm so pleased that he understands me," Guo said. "When I'm available, I take him to parks and libraries. During the Qingming Festival holiday in early April, we went to a downtown park to enjoy the spring blossoms."
Guo came to Shanghai from her small hometown of Zhangye in northwest China's Gansu Province in 2002 when she was 20 years old, and she found a job in a clothing factory.
In 2008 she became a single mother. There was no one by her side to take care of her son, after her parents and relatives returned to Zhangye. So she had to quit her factory job and turned to a flexible working option – becoming an hourly domestic helper.
Were it not for her broken marriage, she might never have found her lifetime career.
"I always feel a sense of satisfaction from my work. For me, domestic service is more than just a job to make a living," she said.
A collection of photos featuring a young Guo Qin and her son
However, it was a different story in the beginning.
Guo felt discriminated against when one of her employers didn't allow her to use the toilets at home. But what impressed her most was working for a retired couple who deliberately put 150 yuan in cash on the floor to test her honesty while they were taking an afternoon nap.
"Of course I didn't take the money. Instead, when they woke up, I gave it back to them immediately. I'm sure they didn't mean any harm, but what they did was a real knock to my self-esteem," Guo said. "However, after that I felt accepted by the family, and we became closer. I took care of the husband in the hospital until the end of his life."
To some extent, it seemed like a turning point in her career. Since then, most employers, especially elderly ones, have received her warmly.
So far, Guo has served nearly 100 families in Shanghai, including more than 60 elderly people – including five over the age of 100, the oldest of whom being 104.
"I prefer to work for elderly people. They treat me like their family members. Some say they can't live without me. When a cold front was coming, they would remind me to put on more clothes. So I made up my mind to repay them with my sincere service," she said.
Guo has received a series of professional training and obtained certificates in elder care. She has also been honored as Shanghai's Gold Medal Domestic Helper.
"I feel satisfied only if my work is recognized," she said.
In two successive years, Guo didn't return home to reunite with her parents during the Spring Festival. She opted to stay put and spent the holiday with local elderly people.
"This year, I bought a plane ticket and packed my luggage. But when I heard of a serious lack of domestic helpers during the holiday, I canceled the ticket," she said.
She often made dumplings, bought daily commodities and got prescription medicine for needy seniors.
Now, she considers Shanghai her second home.
"When I first arrived in Shanghai, I got totally lost in such a big metropolis. I didn't understand Shanghainese, and I didn't know how to take Metro," she said. "Over the years, I have adapted to life in Shanghai. Now when I return to Zhangye, I somehow feel unaccustomed to the local surroundings."
