08.05.08

Update from the Barber Shop

Posted in Barbershop, Fujian at 11:07 pm by Benjamin Ross

For those of you who have kept up with this blog over the past two years, you probably remember when I worked at the Red Sun* barbershop for a month in May of 2007. With 8/8/08 rapidly approaching, I decided to spend my last week of pre-Olympic vacation in Fuzhou, my former Chinese stomping grounds. Of course, a trip back to Fuzhou wouldn’t be complete without a trip to the barbershop.

Since I had last been in Fuzhou, much has changed at the Red Sun. For one thing, only two of the little brothers who were at the Red Sun when I was employed are still there. The rest have either moved on to work in other shops, or completely different lines of work altogether. Several of the former Red Sun employees are now working in Ding Chuang, a new barbershop Mr. Zheng has opened just five minutes away from the Red Sun. Mr. Zheng has also installed Internet enabled computers in both of the barbershops. At first, employees were allowed to use them, but only when no customers were in the shop. Since some employees were abusing the privilege, Mr. Zheng decided to forbid them to be used by anyone except customers, enforceable by a 50 RMB fine. Mr. Zheng also plans to completely remodel The Red Sun next month. All employees will receive an unprecedented 2 week vacation, but unfortunately won’t be able to get paid for any of it.

I spent most of my week catching up with all my former co-workers, and here’s a little wrap-up of what everybody’s been up to.

Mr. Zheng has continued his aspirations to be more of a businessman and less of a barber, and opening Ding Chuang was a major step in this direction. He now splits his time between the two shops, acting as the manager for both. He still gives occasional haircuts to old customers, but is trying to focus more of his energy on management.

Adamum ended his tenure at The Red Sun shortly after I left China last summer. He went back to his hometown of Lianjiang for several months before returning to Fuzhou to open his own tiny barbershop located just around the corner from the Red Sun. In his shop, Adamum is the only master (barber) and there are only two little brothers. “This shop is pretty crappy, don’t you think? But at least it’s mine. I wasn’t getting too many customers at “The Red Sun.” I like being my own buss,” he told me. Adamum still hopes to one day achieve his lifelong dream of illegally immigrating to the United States.

Johnny left The Red Sun shortly after I did. Miraculously, the decision to leave was his own, not Mr. Zheng’s. Supposedly he returned to his hometown. Nobody has heard from him in months.

Jie Lun and Xiao Lei are the only two of the little brothers and sisters who are still at The Red Sun. Jie Lun is going to become a master next month, and Xiao Lei is still washing hair and giving massages.

Xiao Xia finished her tenure as a little sister shortly after I left The Red Sun. She is now working as a master at Ding Chuang.

Xiao Wang is still cutting hair for Mr. Zheng, but next week will be moving to Shanghai. His girlfriend, Xiao Xia’s sister, is already there and working. “I’m not sure what I’ll do when I’m there. Maybe cut hair, maybe something else, but it’s time to move on. I’ve been in Fuzhou for 7 years,” he told me.

After four years at The Red Sun, Jiang, who is the longest currently running employee, has also decided it is time to move on. His last day will be the fifteenth. He has been reading a lot of business books lately and is considering a possible career change. His son is now four years old and still being raised by Jiang’s parents in his hometown of Youxi. He still does not recognize Jiang as his father.

Cheng Qing is still at the Red Sun, and after Xiao Wang and Jiang leave, he will be the only master left who was there when I was employed. He, Xiao Xia, and Xiao Wang currently share a three bedroom unfinished apartment near The Red Sun “dormitory” which serves as an unofficial hangout for many of the employees after work hours are finished.

Guang Tou is no longer “guang tou” (bald). He has a full head of hair. When I ran into him unexpectedly in a kiosk on my way to Ding Chuang he shouted out my name and I didn’t even recognize him. He is now working as a master at Ding Chuang, and is engaged to Xiao Huang, who formerly worked the register at The Red Sun. She is now working as a cashier in a clothing store.

As planned, Mao Mao quit her job as a little sister at the Roman Barber Shop shortly after I returned to the United States. When Ding Chuang opened, she joined Xiao Xia and Guang Tou as the shop’s original three masters. She is still the only master who enjoys her line of work, and still hopes one day to become an internationally famous hair stylist.

Ling Ling is still working the cash register at The Red Sun. Just before I left China, she told me privately that she was going to quit, but I guess that plan never panned out.

Xiao Long returned to his hometown of Ningde several months ago where he has some family connections in the government. He is currently studying for the test to become a civil servant.

Nobody could tell me anything about Carrottop’s whereabouts. Mr. Zheng didn’t even remember him when I brought him up.

Xiao Fang finished his barber training and has now become a master at another barber shop in Fuzhou.

Chen Lin, who at 26 was by far the oldest little brother or sister in the shop, is also working at another barber shop in Fuzhou. I asked him if he had become a master yet. He laughed and said, “Nope, still washing hair.”

During my six days in Fuzhou, I spent the better part of most afternoons and evenings, chatting with my old buddies, performing colorful experiments on each other’s hair, and doing what we all do best, killing time in the barber shop. On my last night in town, we all went out to a local Fuzhou bar, to party the night away with Tsingtao’s and a Filipino cover band. Almost everybody came out, and even several of the employees who are no longer employed at The Red Sun showed up as well.

In addition to teaching me more than I ever imagined I would learn about life in China, my former co-workers have also become some of my closest personal friends. We still keep in regular contact via QQ, and whenever I am in China we exchange frequent text messages as they sit around the shop waiting for customers. The next time I return to Fuzhou, The Red Sun will hardly resemble the shop I worked in for 30 days back in May of 2007. The interior of the shop will look completely different, and likely only a handful of my former employees will still be working for Mr. Zheng. Yet I know my times at the Red Sun will never be forgotten as I look back at my years in the Middle Kingdom.

Below I’ve added some pics from the week back in Fuzhou. Enjoy.

*When I originally began blogging about my experiences in the barbershop, I kept the shop’s name (and those of my co-workers) private. Since then, my colleagues have all insisted to me that my concerns about protecting their privacy are far too American, and that I should go ahead and use real names. However, in order to prevent confusion, I have continued using pseudonyms for all of the employees.

me with Mr. Zheng

Guang Tou, me, and Xiao Xia

Jiang; waiting for customers

Xiao Wang; striking the official Chinese snap shot pose in the front of the barbershop shop

A trip back to the barbershop wouldn’t be complete without major modifications to my own hair style. Before I left Fuzhou, Xiao Wang gave me a spiky do and blond highlights.

me with Ling Ling (right) and Wen Bing, Mr. Zheng’s brother who is now working as a master at the Red Sun

Cheng Qing, Jiang, and Xiao Wang at the bar

more from the bar; me with Xiao Fang (middle) and Cheng Lin, who met up with us for the night out

Mao Mao and Xiao Xia

Adamum and Xiao Xia

the full group photo, after several rounds of Tsingtao and dice

one final look at the Red Sun before it gets remodeled

Mr. Zheng tells me it will look totally different next time I come back.

After I left, Mr. Zheng hung this shot of me, him and the masters in the back of shop. Clockwise from the back left that’s Guang Tou, Mr. Zheng, Xiao Wang, Adamum, Cheng Qing, me, and Jiang

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