Chinanews.com, Changzhi, February 21st, title: Century-old craftsmanship out of the Taihang Mountains: Traditional hairdressing becomes a bigger industry

  Author Yang Jing

  On the second day of the second month of the lunar calendar, in various places in Shanxi, there is a traditional custom of "February 2nd, when the dragon raises its head, adults and children shave their heads" in anticipation of good luck.

On the 21st, in Zhangzi County, Changzhi City, Shanxi Province, there was a long queue in every barber shop. Jia Hailiang, the representative inheritor of the eldest son's haircut, was cutting hair for customers.

  "The eldest son traditionally has three treasures, grinding powder and feeding pigs to shave the head; touching three on the head of the court, and traveling the world with one knife." The "shave the head" in this proverb is the eldest son's haircut.

As a traditional handicraft with a long history, local people make a living by haircutting, which has been passed down from generation to generation. Craftsmen have already left the Taihang Mountains, traveled all over China, and even went abroad. Haircutting is an important means for the eldest son to make a fortune.

On the second day of the second lunar month, the business of the eldest son's barber shop is booming.

Photo by Yang Jing

  According to Jia Hailiang, it is rumored that in the Tang Dynasty, there were already "shaving craftsmen" in the eldest son's territory carrying poles on their shoulders and holding "Huotou" walking around the streets to shave people's heads.

After the implementation of the hair-shaving system in the Qing Dynasty, hair-cutting became the traditional profession of the eldest son.

Afterwards, in order to make a living, the eldest son "the barber" who is good at management endured the wind, frost, rain and snow, tossed inside and outside the Great Wall, migrated in the vast sea and desert, traveled south and north to develop outward, and gradually formed an army of barbers all over the country.

  "The eldest son's haircutting skills are famous all over the world. The most important reason is that the barber is hardworking and skilled. He has a set of traditional massage, massage, acupressure, twisting hemp tendon and other 'unique tricks'." Jia Hailiang has been engaged in the hairdressing industry for more than 30 years, following the eldest son's haircut The master master learned step by step from shaving and cutting hair.

Jia Hailiang kept a tool for shaving people's heads by old craftsmen who walked around the streets.

Photo by Yang Jing

  "At the beginning, the eldest son's haircutting was mainly for men's work. With the development of the industry and the improvement of the public's aesthetics, the eldest son began to learn the southern hairdressing and beauty skills and improve the women's work skills while exploring traditional hairdressing skills." Jia Hailiang said, from "head shaving" "From hairdressing, the hairdressing industry has gradually become a pillar industry for local people to get rich.

The second day of the second lunar month is the busiest time of the year for the local barber shop. "From the opening at 8 o'clock to the closing at 10 o'clock in the evening, the customers have not stopped, and they have to serve more than 100 people throughout the day."

  Cao Weijie is the beneficiary of the skill of the eldest son's haircut.

In 2011, 16-year-old Cao Weijie followed his relatives to learn haircutting in Gujiao, Taiyuan, and then followed his eldest son to learn haircutting in Linfen.

In 2020, in order to take care of his elderly grandparents, Cao Weijie returned to his hometown and his eldest son opened a barber shop. His superb skills and patient service have attracted more and more customers.

Jia Hailiang's traditional eldest son's haircut tools.

Photo by Yang Jing

  From the beginning with only one person in the barber shop to three stylists now, Cao Weijie is more and more confident in the development of the barber shop.

"In addition to recommendations from regular customers, we are now also attracting customers by sharing hairstyle cases on short video platforms, and the business is getting better and better." Cao Weijie hopes to continue learning and improving his skills, recruit apprentices, open more branches, and rely on his skills to get rich and increase income.

  In recent years, with the development of society, the number of young people learning traditional hairdressing skills has gradually decreased.

According to Jia Hailiang, in 2012, in order to give full play to the advantages of this traditional profession, the local hairdressing and beauty association was established.

At present, Jia Hailiang is the president of the Changzi County Hairdressing and Beauty Association. The association trains more than 100 barbers for free every year, helping the unemployed to master a skill and achieve employment.

Cao Weijie is the beneficiary of his eldest son's haircutting skills. He started a barber shop in his hometown. His exquisite skills and patient service have attracted more and more customers.

Photo by Yang Jing

  In addition, in March 2013, Zhangzi County successfully declared the Shanghai World Guinness Book of the Most in China, became the county with the most hairdressing practitioners, and was named "China's Hometown of Hairdressing"; in June of the same year, Zhangzi County established a hairdressing training base; In 2014, the eldest son's haircut was listed as the fourth batch of intangible cultural heritage protection projects in Changzhi City.

The implementation of these measures has added stamina to the development of the eldest son's hairdressing industry.

  At present, in addition to all parts of Shanxi, Beijing, Hebei, Shaanxi and other places have eldest son hairdressing artists who open shops and start businesses. There are still more than 10,000 people in the eldest son county engaged in the hairdressing industry.

  "The eldest son's hairdressing has developed from the past of 'going out to make a living and supporting the family' to the present 'inheriting the tradition and starting a business to get rich'." In the next step, Jia Hailiang hopes to build the "eldest son's haircut" brand on the basis of inheriting traditional skills, "with The employees of Changzi Hairdressing work together to promote the development of the hairdressing industry in Changzi County." (End)