For Sale: One Life in China

CNN profiles Chen Xiao, a blogger whose life is, so to speak, on sale.

Chen Xiao had pretty much given up making her own decisions and so decided to throw open her life to the whims of China’s hundreds of millions of Internet users, known in China as netizens.

[…]Since December, Chen has been allowing others to decide what she will do each day, because, for the most part, last year was awful, she said. Her hometown was hit by blizzards, her country rocked by a devastating earthquake, friends divorced and her clothing shop went bankrupt.

[…]There are limits to what she will agree to do. She will not do anything illegal, immoral or violent, but she said that has not stopped some from asking.

Chen Xiao at Quanjude, from Sina

Chen Xiao at Quanjude, from Sina

Welcoming Mr. Ma

Welcoming Mr. Ma

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Chen’s website is hosted at Taobao. On it, she lists the requirements for time buyers and posts photos of her assignments. Selectively translated by CDT:

Chen Xiao’s Remaining Time Store Offers Services To Those in Need

People’s time can be a commodity
It’s your right to arrange Chen Xiao’s life, and it’s my duty to serve you

The purchase scheme uses the following: time expenditure + material costs + transportation fees

Purchase procedure:
1. First, estimate the amount of time Chen Xiao will need, including transportation. There are three types:
(A) Example: I’d like Chen Xiao to write a big-character poster for me; I’d like Chen Xiao to send an SMS to someone; I’d like Chen Xiao to give someone a phone call. For these, buy 8 minutes of Chen Xiao’s time.
(B) I’d like Chen Xiao to visit a friend; I’d like Chen Xiao to go to a certain school; I’d like Chen Xiao to go to a certain place. For these, buy 1 hour of Chen Xiao’s time x quantity (factor in distance and course)
(C) I’d like Chen Xiao to help someone; I’d like Chen Xiao to help me buy clothes. For these, buy 1 day of Chen Xiao’s time.

2. After that, estimate the reasonable product costs.
Example: I’d like to have 295 yuan’s worth of goods. Please choose a price scale, such as 1 yuan product x 5, added to a 10 yuan product x 9, added to a 100 yuan product times 2.

3. After you have finished estimating these preparations, choose a suitable transportation cost. The transportation fees are round-trip.

Some comments left to Chen Xiao in her guestbook:

tiensysf:

How creative! Young people have this kind of creativity … I support you!
很有创意,年轻人就的有这种创劲,支持你!

Response: You’re young too!~~ We’re the same~~ Let’s strive hard together.
你也是年轻人吧~~我们是同类~~一起加油

difficuty:

I hope you can help me take the graduate school entrance exam and help me achieve my dream. The goal is Peking University’s ancient literature studies. I reserve the three days in the last third of January: two mornings and two afternoons, and on the third day, half a day’s time. How should I charge? I’ll probably pay for registration fees and exam fees~~
我希望你能帮我完成我的考研梦,目标是北大中文的古代文学,预约在明年1月中旬的三天时间里,两个上午两个下午,第三天要占用半天时间,怎么收费的?大概还有报名费,考试费,我出了~~

Response: 2010? Reservation’s too early.
2010年?预约的也太早了吧

shixiyuan88:

Hello Ms. Xiao! Actually, I’m very happy to see this shop of yours and immediately created one of my own in Shenzhen. I’ve always wanted to do this, but there was no systematic way to set things up. Yours is the best example. They also have such a thing in Taiwan, but I couldn’t find data, so I am taking your idea. My intention is to help people. Will you take any offense? However, I do volunteer work on Sundays.
你好潇姐!其实我看到你这个店好高兴,马上也做了一个在深圳.我一直想这样做就是没有系统的文件,这里是最好的范例,台湾有但是找不到资料.我抄了你的.我的本意是想帮助人的.你会介意吗?不过我星期天做义工.

Response: Reflect on it on your own. My idea doesn’t represent anything; I myself don’t know what’s going to become of it later.
你自己考虑吧,我的意见不能代表什么,我也不知道以后会怎样.

tenfei8:

不知道掌柜的是不是单身,单身的话说不定会有个人拍下你的一生,也是个不错的情缘哦,开个玩笑啦
I don’t know if the shopkeeper [Chen Xiao] is single. If she’s single, it’s possible that some guy’s going to claim her life. That wouldn’t be such a bad fate — kidding, kidding.

Response: I’m single, and that person hasn’t appeared yet, maybe because he doesn’t know how much longer I’ve got!
是单身,还没有拍下我一生的人出现,也许因为他不知道我能活多久吧

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