Small Change

We collect change in a jar. We've always done this. At some point when the jar is nearing the top, Scott and the kids will spill it out on the table or floor and sort it all, piling each denomination of coin into piles of ten to see how much is in there. I'm sure you've all done this. Isn't it surprising to see how much it amounts to?

Here in China we seem to accumulate change even faster than in the US. It may be because the largest coin, 1 RMB, is worth only a fraction of what a US quarter is worth. Or it may be because we're not that good at using our Chinese coins... it seems easier to just use paper currency to pay. In any case, we have accumulated several jars of coins since we've been here. So far we've used them for special fund raisers at school, or offerings at church.

But just recently we filled our coin jar, and I decided we would just have it changed into cash at the bank. Scott and Seth had counted it several weeks ago, and it was more than 500 RMB, which is a fair amount of money. Since then we have added more, and by mid-week last week the jar was literally overflowing. I brought the jar out to Mr. Wu in the car, intending to have him take it to the bank for me. My first chuckle came when he saw the jar and said, "Oooh, many money." Yes, yes it is many money. I explained the errand I wanted him to do, and he seemed blank. "No do this in China. Boy, girl play with this money."

What? This made no sense to me. Does he mean Chinese people don't use change? Or that they would never accumulate this much? Perhaps the few coins they might have in one place are given to children to play with.

I explained the machines we have in the US that you can pour your loose change into and bills will be spit out. No this in China, he said. I told him about the little coin wrappers we can get from the bank to roll our coins into specified amounts to take to the bank for bills. The answer was again, no this in China.

Hmmm. There had to be a way to do this. Mr. Wu and I were both kind of laughing about the situation... finally I just asked him to take it to the bank and try. "Bank people in China no like to do this," he said. Please, just go try.

Fifteen minutes later, as I watched the girls on the little playground in our compound, I got a call on my cellphone from Mr. Wu. He was at the bank. He had had to speak with the bank manager to see about accomodating this "special request." It was going to take a week, he said. Did I want to do it? He would leave his name and phone number, and the bank manager would call him when the long and arduous job of counting my jar of change was accomplished.

I was incredulous. In this city of millions upon millions of people, has no one ever asked for this before? Have coin wrappers not been introduced here?

I decided to go for it. Let them keep my coins for a week. Let's just see what comes of this. Hopefully Mr. Wu will get a call mid-week saying that my 600-some RMB in paper currency is ready to be picked up. If not, well, then lesson learned. Spend your coins in China. Don't save them in a jar.