Related News
Home
禄 City specials
禄 Hangzhou
Barber鈥檚 shop still cut above after 50 years
Some of the regulars at Yu Defa鈥檚 barbershop have been getting their hair cut by him for half a century. Yu鈥檚 business, located in Xinpuyan Village, Xihu District of Hangzhou, has been running since the late 1960s, and continues to turn a steady trade thanks to his low prices and top-notch skills.
When Shanghai Daily visited, 70-year-old Yu was busy cutting the hair of 12-year-old Zheng Xinyu.
鈥淢y grandfather gets his hair cut in this barbershop every two months and so do I,鈥 said Zheng.
In recent years, Yu鈥檚 customer base has grown to include many other grandchildren of his older clients.
Yu charges 15 yuan (US$2.1) for every haircut, far cheaper than most of his counterparts in Shanghai.
鈥淔ifty years ago when I opened the shop, there was no water heater or electric razors. I had to fetch water from the neighboring Fuchun River and then heat on the stove,鈥 Yu recalled.
In those early days, Yu charged only 0.2 yuan for a haircut. At the time, the average salary is around 60 yuan per month. This was good money and trimming hair brought him a decent income.
When the country embarked on reform and opening-up in the late 1970s, his business boomed, allowing him to buy his present-day house in the center of the village. He鈥檚 also invested in a new water heater and electric razors.
For the most part though, things haven鈥檛 changed too much over the past 40 years in terms of the barbershop鈥檚 appearance. In its aesthetics, the shop is still quite basic and traditional.
鈥淚n the 1990s, new hair salons began to pop up. Young people go to trendy shops now rather than trimming their hair in my outdated barbershop,鈥 Yu told Shanghai Daily, 鈥淔rom then on, senior villagers became my primary consumers and business started to decline.鈥
The barbershop gradually turned into a secluded nook in the village as more modern houses were erected around it over recent decades. The once-advanced water heating machine and electric razors have also turned into antiques.
鈥淎t the peak of my life, I worked from 6am to 10pm in a bid to earn more money. Today, I open the barbershop only for a few hours each day and trim hair for a dozen fixed guests,鈥 said Yu. 鈥淏ut I will continue running it until I cannot work.鈥
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS
- |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔$粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.