A few weeks ago, one of the most frequently asked questions in parenting WeChat groups was, “What should we do with ayi when she comes back?”

Some ayis live with us and we see them every day. They’re a part of our lives and the lives of our kids, but with the Coronavirus outbreak, some families have opted to continue their Beijing lives without the help of their ayi.

Either way, as most of us are anticipating a return to normal work as soon as next week, the ayi question can no longer be put off.

Therefore, we asked, and Beijing families answered.

134 expat families voted and here’s what they had to say:

Full-Time Ayi

30 percent No more ayi. We’re on our own from now on
28 percent Trust that ayi quarantines herself at her own home after she comes back to Beijing
22 percent Have never had a full-time ayi
11 percent Check ayi into a hotel for a 14 day quarantine
8 percent Let ayi come straight back to work

Part-Time Ayi

28-percent Have never had a part-time ayi
24-percent Trust that ayi quarantines herself at her own home after she comes back to Beijing
21-percent No more ayi. We’re on our own from now on
20-percent Check ayi into a hotel for a 14 day quarantine
7-percent Let ayi come straight back to work

Photos: The Honest Company on Unsplash

The United Kingdom general election 2015 was held on May 7, to elect the 56th parliament. Voting took place in all constituencies, each electing one Member of Parliament (MP) to seats in the House of Commons. In addition to the general election, local elections took place in most of England. Although we’ve been living in Beijing for the past five years, we have a home in England, are on the electoral register, and were therefore able to cast our vote.

If we’re still expats in 10 years’ time, we won’t be entitled to vote. Most expats living abroad are unofficial ambassadors for their home country. I like to think as British citizens abroad we are promoting British values to our host country. International civil servants, English language teachers, businessmen, and women. Yet, as British citizens we face the voting ban after we have lived abroad for more than 15 years.

Other nationalities, as far as I know, retain a lifelong right to vote in their “home” country no matter how long they have resided outside of it. Most expat British citizens feel the 15 year cut-off is unfair, and are calling for the rule to change. They feel you should have the right to vote in your home country, regardless of how many years you have been expatriated. There are those expats who retain strong links with their home country, and who plan to move back sooner or later, so they feel their right to vote should remain. Then there are those who don’t maintain a home there, have no family ties, and have no plans to return. Is it the right thing to have life-long voting rights or, as is the case for expat British citizens, should the line be drawn in the sand somewhere with regards voting rights.

I spoke to a few longer term expatriates. One of them, a British citizen no longer allowed the vote, argued that his home country 15 years ago was a very different place to what it is today. He only goes back for a couple of weeks each year, to visit friends. He feels it’s right and proper that he isn’t entitled to vote any more. Because he’s been residing out of the UK for so long, he feels he isn’t well-placed to cast a vote on issues that affect his home country. “It doesn’t feel right that I could influence the outcome of an election in a country which for me is now little more than a holiday destination”.  Another long-termer explained that, “When voting in a general election, you’re voting for a government, and for your local MP. I own a property, but I don’t reside there. Why would I care who the local MP is?”

One expat, who has lived extensively in both Europe and Asia, thinks people should only have the right to vote in those parliamentary elections where you are currently resident and paying tax. Not applicable to China of course. On the other side of the argument are those that feel you should have a lifetime vote in the country where you are a citizen and hold a passport. Your nationality should guarantee your right to continue voting.

I was relieved to be able to vote in last week’s elections. The UK is still very much our home country. Many of the country’s issues still affect us, even though we’re not currently residing there. Being able to vote on who will take care of education, healthcare, and the future welfare of our home country, is a given right which we’re very glad we still have.  

beijingkids Shunyi Correspondent Sally Wilson moved to Beijing in 2010 from the UK with her husband and son. Her daughter was born here in 2011 and both her kids keep her happily busy. In her spare time, Sally loves to stroll through Beijing’s hutongs and parks. She is a (most of the time) keen runner and loves reading: books, magazines, news, and celeb websites – anything really. Sally is also a bit of a foodie and loves trying out new restaurants.

Photos: secretlondon123, Daniel Lobo (Flickr)

The nearly 300 nominees in the Beijinger‘s 2015 Reader Restaurant Awards are awaiting your opinion — you’ve got til March 8 to cast it! Over 3,000 votes have been cast already, but almost all of the 50 races remain surprisingly competitive, with many locked in dead heats.

FOLLOW THE LINK TO VOTE NOW!

Even if you’re not into democracy or having an opinion, the nomination list is a great document to peruse, as it is a virtual gold mine of suggestions of great places to eat in Beijing.

Notable newcomers including Tribe, Country Kitchen, Palms L.A. Kitchen, The Taco Bar, and The Corner Melt made a good showing outside of the "Best New Restaurant" category this year, receiving nominations across multiple categories.

Topping the list of Western nominees are previous winners such as Mosto, TRB, Capital M, Element Fresh, MOKA Bro’s, Great Leap Brewing, and Home Plate Bar-B-Que.

Meanwhile on the Chinese end of things, familiar names such as Dali Courtyard, Da Dong Roast Duck, Din Tai Fung, Duck de Chine, Haidilao, Jing Yaa Tang, and Transit garnered the most nods from this year’s nominating panel.

We’ve also spiced it up with a few new categories, such as Best Cakes, Cookies and Pastries, Best Overseas Import, Best Ramen, and – my personal favorite – Food Entrepreneur of the Year, honoring those small businesses who are giving it their all to shake up Beijing’s food scene.

So dig in and give a helping hand to all your favorite venues – voting is open until the beginning of March so there’s plenty of time to try before you vote – you’ll always be able to find a link to the ballot on the homepage of thebeijinger.com.

This post first appeared on thebeijinger.com on February 22, 2014.

Last weekend, our sister publication the Beijinger kicked off the 2014 Burger Cup with 15 local joints firing up their grills at the launch party. A special voting page is now activated and will be live till August 31 when the first round of voting closes. 

If you’re familiar with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) division one men’s basketball then you will be able to recognize the March Madness bracket system. The first round has 64 names that will be cut down to 32 then 16 till the champion is named! 

The bracket system has been divided into four main sections each with 16 joints. The top seeded places are Home Plate Bar-B-Que, The Great Leap Brewery, The Big Smoke, and Slow Boat. Last year’s winner, Home Plate narrowly beat Plan B (they are hot on the heels as second seeded) in a cook-off to take the bragging rights for the second consecutive year. Whether they remain the place to get your burger fix will be solely determined by the readers. So get clicking.

Check out the action from the Beijinger Burger Cup Launch Party here and here.

Photo: the beijinger