Celebrity hairdresser who hit the highs in Qing Dynasty dies
Print Edition
A 101-YEAR-OLD hairdresser, who counted top celebrity artists among his patrons and had documentary films made in his honor, died in Beijing last week.
In a career spanning more than 80 years, Jing Kui’s patrons included famous Beijing Opera performers Shang Xiaoyun and Tan Fuying, as well as former high-ranking KMT general Fu Zuoyi.
After the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1911, Jing helped remove the commonly worn pigtails of the time to match the country’s new hairstyles.
As he outlived hundreds of his clients, most of those who attended Jing’s funeral on Tuesday were his relatives and apprentices. Many visited his home to mourn his passing on Friday. A Japanese mourner left a note in poorly scribbled Chinese that said, “Sorry, I am late.”
Hairdressing, like knife sharpening and basin repair, was a traditional profession in Beijing. Hairdressers once roamed the city’s hutongs, or small alleys, rubbing scissors against iron sticks to drum up business.
Several old traditions and superstitions in Beijing relate to hairdressing. For instance, one is not allowed to cut hair during the first month of the lunar year because of superstition that it could bring bad luck to relatives.
People would often go to hairdressers on the second day of the second month in the hope that the new hairstyle could bring them good luck in the year.
Apart from cutting hair, barbers in last century also shaved faces and trimmed nose hairs for their clients.
Jing learned how to cut hair at the age of 15. Riding a tricycle, he used to work near Jingshan Park at the heart of Beijing. According to Zhang Delu, one of Jing’s apprentices, the old man wouldn’t give up his profession, even when he was in his 90s. “For some old clients, he would serve them at home,” he said.
Jing was not rich. His business space was less than 20 square meters, with basic furniture and electrical equipment. He would charge one or two yuan for his service. “He was not doing it for money,” Zhang recalled. “He was just trying to preserve and promote the traditional skill. He had great passion for the career.”
In 2002, a documentary about the barber, then 87, titled Jing Kui and his Old Clients, won the Chinese television documentary award.
“His shaver grazed past time,” wrote a film reviewer. “He meticulously looked after his clients’ hair, staying by them during the last few years of their lives.”
The amiable and thin grandfather also appeared in a biopic the Old Barber, or Titoujiang, when he was 93. The movie, produced by Mongolian director Hasqolu won the Golden Peacock Award at the 37th International Film Festival in India. Hasqolu said Jing wanted to see everyone leave the world neat and tidy.
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