China Taxicab Chronicles 5: Self-Sacrificing Mr. Xin

A timeless tale of a migrant worker in Shanghai, doing what he can so the next generation can have it better

This essay is a revision of a Twitter thread originally published on January 20, 2024. It has been edited lightly to better suit the long essay format.

It had been a while since I’d had a memorable taxi ride, but I got a good feeling immediately when I got into Mr. Xin's car. He looked to be in his mid 30s, with a close haircut, a receding hairline and a wide, round, cheerful face. Most importantly: he looked chatty.

I went for one of the easiest conversation starters: asking about his car.

"Hey man, this is an EV right? It's from Rising Auto, yeah? (飞凡) How does it drive?”

"It's alright. Driving is good, but I find the brakes a little soft. And the car body is very thin and light. I don't feel as safe as in my own car."

“Yeah, these EVs need to have lighter bodies to improve their range. So this car isn't yours…it belongs to the rideshare company?"
"Yes. I have my own car too. It burns gas. I prefer that for me, but all the rental cars from the company are EVs, so that's what I have to drive."

I share a suspicion I think he can confirm for me:
"It seems to me that these days, there are not many rideshare drivers that drive their own cars. The so-called rideshare economy is really just companies renting cars to private drivers, like a taxi company, but without the taxi logo."
"Yeah, that's true..."

(I knew it! I have encountered a few drivers who drive their own cars, but it’s usually part-time. All the full-time drivers were renting their cars from a company, like a taxi).

"Have you been driving a long time?"
"A few years. I only came to Shanghai last year. Before that I was in Suzhou for a while, you know Zhangjiagang? That’s where I was. Before that, I was in Anhui, Wuhu City, doing different kinds of work...."
"Is driving a good job?"
"It's alright. Depends on how hard you want to work."

Mr. Xin’s prevous work locations. Zhangjiagang is the star north of Suzhou. Wuhu is the star south of Ma’anshan

"What do you pay the company to rent the car?"
"This kind of car...the rental fee is about 7-8k CNY per month. They repair the vehicle and do maintenance."
"Wow, 7-8k per month, that seems like a lot. So each day, you’d have to earn..." (I'm trying to calculate his financials)

"I earn about 800 CNY per day, normally."
"Wow, okay, that's pretty good. And normally, how many days do you have off each month?"
"I don't."
"What? You don't take any days off? So if there’s 30 days in a month, you’ll drive 30 days?”
"Yes."
"Wow, is this the company requirement?"

"No of course not. The minimum requirement for full-time drivers is 188 hours in one month. Actually that's just 5 or 6 hours a day. But I will normally drive 15 or 16 hours per day".

"What?? So all the time you aren't driving, you are sleeping?”
"Yes basically."

"Why do you work so many hours?"
"Well, I rent the car for the whole month. So if I don't use that time to drive and make money, I will feel pressure..."

"Oh, so people who drive their own cars maybe don't feel the pressure so much?" "Yeah exactly. They can take more rest days and be more relaxed."

"So why don't you drive your own car?"
"The EV from the company is much more cost-efficient. I can drive all day on one charge of the battery for just 80 CNY, much cheaper than gasoline. After a few years, the battery should be replaced, but that will be the company's responsibility".

Now I'm calculating again. "So, if you have gross revenue of about 24k CNY a month, after subtracting car rental and charging fees, you're making 15 or 16k a month. And if you don't want to drive so many hours like you do, a driver could make more like 12k a month"
"Yes that's right"

(Author note: This is quite a lot compared to the other jobs he could be doing, like manual labor or service sector, retail, etc., which are all in the 5-8k range. He's also making quite a bit more than the median Shanghai wage of 11k/month.)

"What do you do with this money? Are you saving for a house?"
"No, I send it back home. For my kid...in my hometown..."
"Ahh, all for your kid. How old?"
"Nine"
"Your hometown is...somewhere in the Northeast I guess, based on your accent". "Yeah, Chaoyang City, in Liaoning."

Chaoyang City in Liaoning Province, northeast of Beijing and west of Sheyang

"Chaoyang like Chaoyang District in Beijing?"
"Yes, the same characters. But it's a city between Beijing and Shenyang."
"What's it famous for?"
"Nothing really. We used to have a big prison." (Author note: From my searching online, Chaoyang is quite famous for paleontology and dinosaur fossils.)

"Oh. Uhmm. So, is your wife with you?"
"She's still in Chaoyang taking care of our kid. I came out to work."

"Okay, can I ask you a blunt question? This kind of lifestyle, working alone for so many hours...is it enough for you? Are you content?” (你知足吗?)

"Content...I'm not content. But what can I do about it? There's nothing to be done. Chinese people, we will do everything for our children...We will spend all our time to make money to prepare everything for our children. They need education, they need a house to live. This is what is means to be a parent."

“…we will do everything for our children…this is what it means to be a parent”

"Is this the meaning of life for you then? Your purpose is to make money to be a good parent?"
"I guess..."

"Do you ever do anything for yourself? Travel, or even just go out with friends to eat and drink?"
"I don't know anyone here, so I don't go out to eat and drink often. But when I go home for the New Year, I'll see my friends in my hometown, and we'll eat and drink a lot. That’s a happy time."

"So you spend your life delaying your enjoyment of life, until one day you are old and you retire, and your children will take care of you, but won’t you be too old to enjoy life at that time?"

"Yeah, this is our tradition. People in Beijing or Shanghai maybe are different...Young people in the big cities have children later...or don't even have children. But that's not normal in small places. Hey, by the way, I heard you Westerners kick your children out when they are 18 years old, and don't give them money anymore. Is that true?"

"Yes, it is like that for some people. Including me - I didn’t take any money from my parents after I was 18 years old."

"Yeah China is different. Whatever our children need, we will give them, no matter their age."
"Okay I see. Will you go home for the New Year?"
"Yeah, I will go home next week."
"Plane? Or train?"
"Actually I will drive my car home, then take a train back. It's a 3 day drive."

"Maybe it will be more than 3 days. If you drive during the New Year, the highway becomes a parking lot..." (traffic jams)
"Yeah that's why I'm leaving early. I'll take a longer holiday this year."
"I guess it's no problem for you to make up the missing hours when you come back."
"That's right"

"Okay, well here we are. Just pull up on the side here. I hope you have a good New Year holiday shifu. And I hope you find some time to enjoy your life by eating and drinking with your friends at home. Drive safe"

“I will, will. Take care."

- End

The three-day drive Mr. Xin made to return to his family for the New Year, although if he stuck to his normal work habits, it seems he could do it in one day!