Update | A foreign 'chengguan'? British woman, 21, becomes traffic warden in Hunan
Weeks into the job, expat may already be having the desired effect by stopping would-be jaywalkers in their tracks
A city in China’s Hunan province has hired a 21-year-old British woman to work as a volunteer traffic warden.
Though her Chinese-languange skills are not particularly polished, she has memorised key phrases such as “Please be aware of and abide by traffic regulations” and “I love Zhuzhou and I hope we can both make this city into a beautiful place”, the newspaper reported.
The Briton, with brown locks and a calm demeanour, does not fit the stereotype of a chengguan, China’s widely loathed urban administrative and law enforcement officers.
The reputation of chengguan has been marred by multiple reports of their use of excessive force in dealing with minor infractions, sometimes resulting in injuries and even death.
Having a foreigner direct pedestrians may prove more effective than native traffic wardens.
“With a [foreigner] there, I don’t have the nerve to jaywalk,” one unnamed resident said. Locals heaped praise upon Leah, with one suggesting she should join the city’s “urban management team”.
“We get to see [government] from the inside, how it works and get to shape it by providing recommendations,” Nicolas Santo, one of the five, told the South China Morning Post.
Government jobs may provide an alternative for foreigners coming to China for work as Beijing tightens regulations on the expat mainstay of teaching English.
In one case, a foreigner worked for almost four years at an international school in Beijing despite being sought by British police in connection with child sex offences.
New regulations that come into force next month will require prospective teachers to have five years’ teaching experience or equivalent qualifications.
Correction: This article previously stated that 'Leah' had "failed to find work as an English teacher", this was incorrect.
