In anticipation of my departure from Beijing this summer, I’ve been slowly getting rid of things through expat forums, clothing swaps, and donation drives. Clothes, bikes, household appliances, books, and craft supplies have all found willing recipients, but I’ve been stumped about what to do with old devices.

A Baidu search turned up Aihuishou (“love recycling”), a Shanghai-based customer-to-business platform for selling old mobile phones and other personal devices. Founded by two Fudan University graduates, the site has been profiled on chinadialogue and received C series funding from the US.

The premise seems simple enough. Users o to the website, type their device brand and model into the search bar, answer some questions about the state of the device, and make an appointment to either drop it off in person at one of Aihuishou’s service points or have an employee come over and assess it in person.

The obvious drawback is that the website is only in Chinese, but the interface looks very easy to use and Aihuishou reportedly offers higher buyback prices than competing services and street vendors. Even if you have limited language skills, it should be simple enough to get through with the help of someone who can read Chinese.

Let’s say you want to resell an iPhone 5. On the front page, click on the Apple logo or click on the dropdown menu labeled 旧机回收 (“old device recycling” jiuji huishou):

“Mobile phone” (手机回收 shouji huishou) is the second option in the dropdown list.

You can also type the device brand and model straight into the search bar:

Once you find the right device, you’ll get a series of diagnostic questions to assess the resale value of the phone:

The questions are different for each device. In this case, they include where the iPhone 5 was bought, storage capacity, serial number group, and warranty status.

The next page assesses for any damages or malfunctions: whether the phone turns on and off normally, whether the battery works normally, whether the Wi-Fi has any issues, etc.

The last page continues along the same vein and asks about the phone’s casing, screen, and repair history.

The first thing you’ll see on the next page is the estimated resale value of the phone – in this case RMB 530 – followed by a list of service options.

There are three options: go to one of Aihuishou’s service points (there will be a map of Beijing with a list of locations), have a service agent come to your house, or send the devices through kuaidi.

Once the devices have been assessed and, if applicable, the estimate price readjusted, Aihuishou will give you the money through WeChat Wallet, bank transfer, or in cash.

Note that you get an extra RMB 30 if you show up in person at a service point and an extra RMB 5 if you choose to get paid through WeChat Wallet.

Both in-person resales and house calls require an appointment. The transaction can only go through if the total resale value of the device(s) amounts to at least RMB 50, so this is the perfect time to get rid of your whole family’s e-waste in one fell swoop.

Sijia Chen is a contributing editor at beijingkids and a freelance writer specializing in parenting, education, travel, environment, and culture. Her work has appeared in Travel + Leisure, The Independent, Midnight Poutine, Rover Arts, and more. Follow her on Twitter at @sijiawrites or email her at sijiachen@beijing-kids.com.

Visuals: Screenshots by Sijia Chen, main photo by Zak Mensah (Flickr)

Net Savings is a regular series in which we spotlight businesses and services that accept mobile payment methods like online banking, Alipay, WeChat Wallet, and Baidu Wallet to help you get the most out of life in Beijing.

How many times have you sat around with a kid or a girlfriend at home thinking “You know what would make this better? A manicure.” Well, this is China and there’s an app for that.

My esthetician recently told me about a company called Helijia that offers on-demand manicures and pedicures, facials, eyelash treatments, hair styling, and other beauty treatments. Once you book and pay for an appointment through the app (available for iPhone and Android), a Helijia manicurist comes and does your nails in the comfort of your own home.

The app is pretty easy to use even if you don’t understand Chinese. To book an appointment, first select a category on the home screen: 美容 (waxing, facials, and massages), 美神 (nails and eyelashes), 美妆美发 (hair and makeup), and 健身教练 (personal trainers and yoga teachers).

The final category, 高颜值, contains a grab bag of discounted services and classes such as coffee barista classes, moxibustion, concert tickets, and henna.

Say you want to book a manicure. Tap 美神. Narrow down your choices by manicure type (简约 for simple color, 彩绘 for patterns, or 法式 for French nails) or start browsing selections by scrolling down.

When you see something you like, tap on it. The screen will show any current promotions, how much time the manicure will take (100 minutes), and how long the manicure should last (20 days). You can also save the selection for later browsing (收藏) or contact the manicurist (联系). To book the manicure, tap the pink button (购买).

On the booking screen, you’ll need to specify a time and date for the appointment and your address in Chinese.

Under time and date, any entries in black are available and any entries in gray are already booked.

The last step is payment. Helijia accepts WeChat Wallet, Alipay, Baidu Wallet, and online banking. You can also pre-pay money to your Helijia account using any of these payment methods.

There are some family-friendly services on Helijia, including kids’ haircuts starting from RMB 58, parent-child haircuts starting from RMB 99, and couples’ hatha yoga lessons starting from RMB 268.

Coincidentally, Helijia is running a promotion until midnight tonight. Spend RMB 100 and get RMB 30 off, spend RMB 200 and get RMB 100 off, or spend RMB 500 and get RMB 200 off on selected services.

Sijia Chen is a contributing editor at beijingkids and a freelance writer specializing in parenting, education, travel, environment, and culture. Her work has appeared in The Independent, Midnight Poutine, Rover Arts, and more. Follow her on Twitter at @sijiawrites or email her at sijiachen@beijing-kids.com.

Photo by chloemiriam (Flickr), screenshots by Sijia Chen

Cracked your smart phone screen? If your device is already out-of-warranty, there may be an easier way to get it fixed than taking it back to the store.

A friend just told me about Leleda, a Chinese app (available for iOS and Android) that allows users to book house calls for phone repairs. I poked around the app this morning and made an appointment. The app is in Chinese, so if you’ll need someone to help you read and type characters.

The welcome screen displays basic information about your phone. Just underneath, you can book a house call by clicking on the blue button (see first screenshot) for 我要维修 ("I want to repair").

WebMD obsessives will find the next screen intuitive to use; just tap where it "hurts" (click 正面 on the top right corner of the screen to see the back of the phone) and an itemized list of services for that phone part will pop up. 

For instance, tapping the Multi-Touch screen gives you two options: replacing the screen (RMB 380) or trading in your Multi-Touch screen (RMB 180). Note that the screen can be cracked but the LCD liquid and touch function must be intact to qualify for Leleda’s recycling program. To pick a service option, tap the orange 维修 button next to it.

Next, you’ll be asked to provide a short description of the problem (your Chinese-speaking friend will come in handy here) as well as specify the color of your phone, if applicable.

To book a house call, select 上门服务. Enter your mobile number and address in Chinese, then specify a preferred time and date for the repairman to come by. Double-check your appointment details and tap 提交.

Note that the house call service costs an additional RMB 68 on top of the repair fee. A customer service agent will contact you within 24 hours to confirm the repair details.

I made an appointment to repair my iPhone 5, so I’ll update this post after the house call.

[Update September 21, 2015]: Success! My iPhone 5 is fixed. It needed a new battery; if I woke up with a full charge, it would be dead by 3 or 4pm the same day. The Leleda repairman came to my house and replaced the battery within 30 minutes. He was friendly, efficient, and gave me his mobile number in case the phone had any further issues. The repair cost RMB 143 in total, including parts and the service fee for the house call. My iPhone can now hold a full charge and is as good as new.

Sijia Chen is a contributing editor at beijingkids and a freelance writer specializing in parenting, education, travel, environment, and culture. Her work has appeared in The Independent, Midnight Poutine, Rover Arts, and more. Follow her on Twitter at @sijiawrites or email her at sijiachen@beijing-kids.com.

Screenshots: Sijia Chen

After successfully setting up Alipay, I planned to start using it on the Uber car-sharing app instead of my foreign credit card. However, I was told by customer service after a few failed attempts that only mainland China customers with a shenfenzheng number could link up Alipay to Uber.

That’s when I noticed a third payment option: Baidu Wallet (also known as Baifubao), launched last April by search giant Baidu. Within a few minutes, I had the service set up and was happily riding off into the distance (at a crawl ’cause it was rush hour, but still).

1. To find payment setup in the Uber app, click on the profile icon in the upper left corner of the home screen.

2. Select “Payment.”

3. Choose “Baidu Wallet.” Enter your Chinese bank card number (online payment must be enabled first through your bank).

4. On the next screen, enter your name and surname exactly as they appear in your bank account details, then your mobile number.

5. A six-digit verification code will be sent to your mobile phone. Enter it in the pop-up box.

That’s it! Baidu Wallet will appear in your payment options screen; it’ll be available to use next time you call an Uber.

Update [August 29]: We’ve heard from a couple of readers that not all domestic banks are supported with passports (such as ICBC and Agricultural Bank of China) and there’s a 20-character limit on names.

Sijia Chen is a contributing editor at beijingkids and a freelance writer specializing in parenting, education, travel, environment, and culture. Her work has appeared in The Independent, Midnight Poutine, Rover Arts, and more. Follow her on Twitter at @sijiawrites or email her at sijiachen@beijing-kids.com.

Screenshots: Sijia Chen

You might have already heard of WeSecretary, the recently-launched service that helps foreigners find whatever they need in Beijing. The idea is simple: add “we-secretary” on WeChat, tell the real live human on the other end what you need, they find it for you, and you pay a 10 percent commission charge. My friends and I had cause to try WeSecretary last week, and it was great.

We’d planned a weekend camping trip to Yunmengshan, but our usual driver was unavailable. We needed to find private transportation large enough to fit 11 people plus equipment and only had a few days to do it.

One person suggested WeSecretary, which he’d heard about through one of the expat magazines. He added them on WeChat, explained what we needed, and got a quote for a van within ten minutes. The concierge was friendly, prompt, and spoke good English.  

The only hiccup was that she originally quoted us the wrong price, thinking we needed a van for a day trip rather than an overnight camping trip. However, she made up for the mistake by charging us a lower commission fee. After the price was agreed on, my friend paid the commission charge through WeChat Wallet and got the driver’s mobile number.

The van itself was smaller than our usual ride, so we had to do some creative re-arranging of the seats in order to fit 11 people, backpacks, tents, ground mats, and sleeping bags. But considering the short notice and how easy the overall process was, we were impressed by WeChat Secretary’s services.

On WeSecretary’s website, the company says it can also help expats “buy stuff on Taobao, get an Alipay account, book an ayi on demand, have water delivered, find a repairman,” and more. Accepted payment methods include WeChat Wallet, credit card, Alipay, bank transfer, and even Bitcoin.

To contact them, just scan the QR code on their website or email service@wesecretary.com.

Screenshot by Sijia Chen

The problem of sexual harassment isn’t restricted to subway cars. There have been many reports of sexual harassment by male taxi drivers with female passengers in China and a few other countries such as India. In many of these cases, the harassment doesn’t stop at a little pushing and shoving, as they do on subway cars, but may end in serious harm, the rape case that happened in Delhi last December for example, in which the Uber driver managed to park the car at a secluded spot and raped the passenger.

According to Yibida an English language news site, Kuaidi One just launched a “female drivers only” add-on to its taxi-hailing app in April. When the option is selected, only cars operated by female drivers will be called for service. Mr. Xiao, the general manager of Kuaidi One, believes that this it will bring female passengers a much safer commuting option late at night.

“Many middle-class women now get off work really late, so we hope the service can bring this group of customers a safe and comfortable choice of transportation,” he says. 

Only those who registered as female users can access to this option, and it’s only available from 7pm to 3am. To use this service, first download Kuaidi One (Yihao Zhuanche) on your phone. Be sure to select “female" (女士)  as your gender.

Every day between 7pm and 3 am, you’ll see the option “women-only cars" (女士专车) in the interface, the one with a Venus symbol in the picture below.

Once you choose “female-only cars”, the rest of the procedures stay all the same. First set up a time (用车时间). Then fill in your current location and destination. Finally click on “select car model (去选车)” on the bottom, and you are ready to go.

Screenshots by Patrick Li

Healthcare in Beijing is largely hospital-based, which can be a real hassle if you have a non-urgent medical complaint. As many of our readers will know, it is not always easy to find the time to go and see a doctor.

Unfortunately, this means that those with minor conditions or simple health queries often put off treatment or rely on self-diagnosis. But a new online doctor service, launched this month, could make life a great deal easier, cheaper, and healthier for busy Beijingers.

The new Beijing Health Portal aims to provide access to fast and professional medical advice. What’s more, you don’t need take time off work or fork out for medical bills to take advantage of the service. Simply post your query on the forum in English, Chinese, or Japanese and one of the specialists from Puhua International Hospital in Shuangjing will get back to you within 48 hours.

With recent user queries ranging from itchy eyes to asthma, the site may save families a trip to the hospital or, at the very least, let you know when face-to-face attention is necessary.

The hospital has reassured beijingkids that the advice dispensed will be entirely objective and the medical specialists will adhere to strict rules on soliciting business or advertising services on the forum. Doctors from other hospitals are also encouraged to sign up in order to reassure patients that they’re getting unbiased advice and that all-important second opinion.

And as well as looking at existing discussions or posting your own medical queries, you can also use the forum give feedback about your experiences with any Puhua service. They want to hear patients’ experiences, good or bad, which they will publish uncensored and respond to where appropriate.

Easy access to care and transparent patient feedback are crucial to improving healthcare, so we think the new portal has a lot of potential. We would love to hear readers’ experiences of the service so get in touch and let us know your thoughts!

Photo courtesy of Puhua International Hospital

There’s a new kid on the block in the Beijing design scene – and it was started by three teens. Studio Accord is the brainchild of Vivian Zhang, Emily Chung, and Rikki Liu, three soon-to-be juniors at the International School of Beijing. Rikki and Vivian are originally from the US, while Emily is from Canada. Studio Accord is a "non-profit design studio" whose mission is to provide pro bono work to non-profit organizations and commercial work for socially-conscious businesses, with profits to be donated to worthy causes. beijingkids recently spoke to Vivian to find out more about Studio Accord.

How did Studio Accord come about?
This is actually a really long story. Studio Accord is a joint project between all three co-founders. We are all proficient at design, but split roles within the organization to keep things efficient. Emily is the art director; she makes the calls about our own brand identity, color schemes, and graphics. For example, she did the gorgeous splash image on our website. Rikki is the communications director and manages emails with clients, but she’s away at the moment. I manage the website and the business aspect of the organization.

Originally, all three of us were all executives of ISB’ss internal design organization, Draxonic Design Studio (DDS). Gradually with the growth of DDS, outside organizations began approaching us and we were given the option to either focus on school projects or to branch out professionally.

Because it was impossible for DDS to dabble in both options, the three of us were inspired to create an entirely new entity to give us the opportunity to work with real clients and impact the community in a more lasting and profound way.  

We all have different goals in creating this organization. I wanted to go through the experience of starting a "business." Emily wanted to create a group that could achieve a higher level of design in terms of communication and impact. Rikki wanted to positively impact the community through art. So we entered the business with trepidation, but also with a certain level of experience.

What’s the process of coming up with a design for a non-profit?
Well, so far we’ve only worked with Bethel China, and it’s been a great pleasure. The first project we received from them was the sponsorship flyer; they provided a few photos and text, and gave us some rough requirements.

You have to understand that design is a visual means of solving a problem. The first thing we did was go on their website and familiarize ourselves with their work and history.

We then asked Chloe Banks (their development manager) numerous questions about the flyer’s purpose and target audience. From this, we tailored the entire design around the needs of the organization. And of course, there were many back-and-forth email exchanges along the way until we achieved a final, satisfactory product.

You also did a design for United Family Healthcare, right?
UFH is starting a new residency and family medicine program, and the logo we created for them is meant to be used as a decorative header for their official documents. We were contacted by Dr. Setsuko Hosoda to create a simple graphic and typography logo to brighten up their documents, and the final concept is very simple: a medical cross that doubles as a stylized "U" and "F" (United Family), featuring two little human figures in the center to represent family and health.

Bethel China is still an ongoing project, and the only graphic that’s been finalized is the sponsorship flyer. However, we’ve recently met with Chloe Banks and we’re working on numerous other projects, including a web infographic, a vision collage, visitor cards, and more. We’re really glad to help out with their rapidly evolving organization, and it’s been really fun so far. 

What do you hope to accomplish with Studio Accord?
Our mission is to promote visual design as an important means of communication; we’ve noticed that there is very little emphasis on this in China, especially in non-profits. We’d also like to make a nice contribution to the community and gain some valuable experience in return. 

Right now, we’re still in that hectic process of setting up all the infrastructure to operate correctly. Ultimately we’d like to have two aspects of the organization: doing pro bono work for non-profits and doing commissioned work for socially-minded business owners.

However, we’re still trying to navigate various options for the second part of that plan; we’re also trying to gain serious credibility before taking that plunge, so services will likely be "free" (or, in other words, priceless!) until we figure that out. 

Do you see this project carrying on past your school years?
Definitely. This really isn’t something meant to just last us through high school- but then, we don’t have any concrete plans as to what we’ll do with it after we graduate yet. We have some pretty lofty visions for it, but let’s just see where this takes us in the next two years. 

Studio Accord is currently looking to expand its portfolio by providing free work to non-profits, businesses, and community organizations. To contact the founders or find out more, visit their website.

Visuals courtesy of Studio Accord