File 032435
New York Times Article on Butler Training and Wealth Display in China (File 032435)
Newspaper article excerpt discussing the growing trend of butler services and training in China as a status symbol among wealthy individuals, featuring commentary from butler academy trainers and professionals.
Summary
This New York Times article from January 15, 2017, examines the booming butler industry in China, where wealthy individuals are increasingly hiring English-style butlers as a status symbol. The piece features interviews with Neal Yeh, a British-Chinese butler trainer, and Christopher Noble, an American trainer at the International Butler Academy China in Chengdu. The article discusses how Chinese wealth and international travel have driven demand for personal service training, with butler academies reporting sharp growth in recruits, primarily Chinese women seeking employment in this luxury service sector.
•UOCAT&T7:48 AM 100% [Ml.Sunday, January 15, 2017Front PageChoice for ERA. a Frequent Allyof the RegulatedFor Cubans, an Expulsion LongDelayedFinding His Voice on RaceAfter Downton; AffluentChinese Seek ButlersFor Early 'Jersey Boys' Investors,Oh, What a RunWomen Who Voted for DonaldTrump, in Their Own WordsInternational1jcA:7eto. pork gimes"What they would like to say to their friends is, 'Look, I have a butler, an English-stylebutler in my home,' to show how wealthy they are," said Neal Yeh, a Chinese-bornBriton living in Beijing, who for over a decade has helped train and find jobs forbutlers."The country now with the biggest trend in butlers is China," said Mr. Yeh, whoseEnglish accent would be at home on "Downton Abbey," the television series about ablue blood family in England, which was avidly watched in China. "I dare say I haveplayed a part in starting this trend."Butler training schools and agencies have been doing business in China for more thana decade, but the number of recruits has grown sharply in recent years, according tothose in the business. Most are Chinese and many are women. The International ButlerAcademy China opened in 2014 here in Chengdu, a haze-covered city in southwestChina, and offers a six-week boot camp on dinner service, managing homes and otherminutiae of high living."The Chinese are vacationing more nowthan ever in history, and so they're beingexposed to the West more and more," saidChristopher Noble, an American trainer atthe academy who previously ran bars inCleveland. "But Chinese people see that,experience top-class personal serviceabroad, and they want to experience ithere."A boom in butler service might seemincongruous as President Xi JinpingA student uses a ruler to set the cutlery on the tablefor a formal dinner. Gilles Sabrie for The New YorkTimesInternational