Oral ︱ Post-95 Shroud Female Model: Death cannot be changed, it is better to say goodbye beautifully and decently
In 2017, Ren Sainan graduated from a university majoring in e-commerce in Zhengzhou, Henan, and entered the funeral supplies sales industry through recruitment, and has since become a "shroud model".
"Aren't the little girls afraid of doing this? How bad." Ren Sainan's mother couldn't figure it out.
Ren Sainan thinks otherwise.
After witnessing many deaths and solemn farewell ceremonies, she felt the value of helping the deceased go through the last part of their lives in a decent way, and gradually fell in love with this job.
Recently, the story of Ren Sainan "post-95 girls as shroud models" has aroused heated discussion among netizens, and this topic once topped the Weibo search list.
On December 29, 2020, in an interview with The Paper (www.thepaper.cn), Ren Sainan shared his three-year experience in the industry.
She said that this is one of the professions that face "death". "Since death cannot be changed, it is better to say goodbye to you rather than immersed in sadness."
[The following is the dictation of Ren Sainan]
"Every deceased has a special story"
In 2017, when I graduated, I was attracted by a job advertisement for an "e-commerce operation assistant".
Later, I learned that the so-called "e-commerce operation assistant" is actually selling shrouds and often being a model and wearing display.
Don't talk about others, I am very scared.
It was my boyfriend who encouraged me that I mustered the courage to try.
My daily work is designing styles, connecting with garment masters, responding to customers online, delivering goods, live broadcasting, acting as a model, and showing them to customers in shrouds.
Many customers have resistance to the shroud, and if a young girl of mine wears it, it will alleviate this resistance.
When I first entered this industry, I didn't dare to tell my mother about my specific job. I dared to tell her only after I fully accepted the job.
When she told her, she was stunned and told me to resign, saying "how bad is this little girl doing this".
In her traditional cognition, the styles of shrouds are old, gloomy, and old-fashioned, and her knowledge of this aspect is relatively limited.
I showed her the shrouds I sold. These shrouds of different styles broke her knowledge of shrouds.
I shared my thoughts and thoughts on designing these styles with her, and I also told her about the problems I encountered when communicating with customers. After chatting, my mother would even help me make suggestions.
After two visits, she accepted the job.
At work, the family of the deceased asked me to recommend styles. I will understand in detail, such as what industry did the deceased work in before his death?
What are your preferences?
what color do you like?
Dress style and so on.
In the process of communicating with the families of the deceased, I slowly discovered that every deceased has a special story.
I was very impressed once.
Two years ago, on the third night of the Lunar New Year, a girl approached me and said that she wanted to prepare a green shroud for her father. She had already found many shops, but none of them.
I am a little puzzled, why must it be green?
After inquiring, I learned that her father supported the frontier when he was young and had a unique feeling for green.
After listening to this story, I was very moved. On the one hand, it was because of her father's side story, and on the other hand, she was also moved by her filial piety to fulfill his father's last wish.
I want to help her find a green shroud.
After searching for a long time and not finding it, I decided to use a green fabric to customize a suit for her father.
After learning many stories of the deceased and trying my best to meet the family's requirements for shrouds, I gradually understood that this job is actually helping the deceased complete the last journey of life with dignity.
In this job, I have witnessed too much life and death.
Although I can't help my family to get out of the sad mood, I do my best to warm others, and I see the value and meaning of this job.
Ren Sainan introduces the shroud during the live broadcast
"I am afraid that others will treat me as a'Plague God'"
After working in this business, I began to learn shroud design.
In addition to learning from the company’s designers, I also watch some clothing exhibitions, go to museums, and usually read books on traditional clothing.
The shrouds I designed include Chinese tunic suit, Tang suit, modern suit, cheongsam and many other styles.
After learning about the shroud design, I am often amazed by the ancient Chinese traditional textile technology.
Once, I saw a very special fabric in Suzhou. Its color is different from different angles. I was deeply attracted by this fabric called Yarn-dyed Luo.
Luo was a weaving technique in ancient times, which is different from ordinary clothes. After being knitted, ordinary clothes have a checkered shape, while the yarn-dyed Luo method is diamond-shaped after being knitted.
Ordinary clothes are dyed in the dyeing vat after weaving the whole clothes, while the yarn dyed Luo is first dyed and then woven, so the clothes woven from it have different colors from different angles.
After I went back, I designed a shroud with this weave. It was a blue-green cheongsam called "Die Cui", which was very beautiful.
People around me sometimes don't understand my work.
Once I was in a class reunion and everyone introduced and shared their work. After I finished the introduction, a female classmate was very scared and said that she was afraid to turn her face to me when she thought of a shroud seller sitting next to her.
At first it was very uncomfortable for me to hear such an incomprehensible voice. I was afraid that my friends would alienate me and that they would treat me as a "Plague God".
I will try to communicate with them and show them the shroud I designed.
In fact, it was just fine after the chat. Later, some students praised me for being brave, and some students were very curious. They talked with me in depth and gave me some design inspiration.
For example, a friend talked to me about the shroud before. She said that when she left this world, she wanted a clean shroud. She thought it meant being clean and decent.
That cheongsam "Butterfly Cui" incorporates this idea.
"I hope the deceased can wear it and bid farewell to the world beautifully"
In fact, since I was little, I have never received education about death.
My family rarely talked about it, and I was afraid of death.
But after entering this industry, I slowly discovered that birth, old age, sickness and death is a necessary process for a person.
Now I can face death calmly and cherish the present.
Most people accept that the death of a loved one will go through a process.
Once, a post-90s girl approached me and wanted to prepare a shroud for her father.
She fell in love with a tunic suit. After paying the money, she refused to take the clothes and put them with us. She said that she would think of death when she saw the shroud and did not want to take it home.
At that time, her attitude towards death was fearful and unwilling to accept it.
Late that night, I suddenly received a call from her, saying that my father had passed away, and hoped that I would send her the shroud.
When she saw her, she was very sad and flustered.
She said that although she knew that this moment would come sooner or later, she really did come and she was still at a loss.
I was also sad after hearing this, but I could only accompany her silently and give some comfort.
After a while, she left a comment on the order, "Today is my father's May 7th. May heaven be no more sick, I miss you so much."
Perhaps, this girl can already accept the fact that her father passed away.
Despite the pain, people will become open-minded in the end when facing the departure of their loved ones.
I have also encountered a very calm person. When an old man in his 60s is still in good health, he takes the initiative to find me and buy a shroud for himself in advance.
Since death cannot be changed, it is better to say goodbye and leave no regrets instead of immersing in sorrow.
This is also my original intention of making shrouds. Life needs some sense of ritual. People will wear a decent dress on many important occasions. When making shrouds, I will think of it as a dress. The deceased can wear it to be beautiful. Say goodbye to the world decently.
Intern Yan Zhaoxin, surging journalist Xue Shasha