The government of southwestern Sichuan Province plans to use 1.6 million yuan, or about 200 thousand U.S. dollars, to train 4,000 high-quality housemaids.

　　The special housemaids should be able to speak English and cook at least 40 Sichuan dishes.

　　Head of a maid training center Song Rui says all maids have six months of mandatory training, instead of the usual two weeks. The company’s motive is to create a positive image of Sichuan housemaids.

　　Sichuan Province is one of the major sources of housemaids, partly due to its large population.

　　Big cities like Shanghai are eying professional housekeepers from Sichuan.