Street barber won't cut ties with clients

Veteran keeps outdoor tradition alive by giving 4 yuan haircuts

In an age of modern salons and flashy hairstyles, veteran barber Zhang Yanjun continues to give traditional haircuts with his antique clippers and razor on a Beijing street.

Every morning, Zhang walks out onto the street near his home in Chaoyang district, puts up a red barbershop sign and lays out his tools.

Zhang, 65, is one of the few outdoor barbers who still carry out the trade on the streets of the capital. He started his business after the barbershop where he worked closed in 1990, and has become a familiar sight in his neighborhood.

He spends six hours a day at the same spot, unfolding his chair and waiting for customers.

Zhang charges 4 yuan ($0.64) for a haircut, up from the 1.5 yuan he charged when he started working outdoors 15 years ago. He has no plans to raise the price.

"What I value is not money, but the fun of working in the open air," he said. "I can chat and play poker with my neighbors."

However, working outdoors also poses challenges.

"In the winter, I have to brave the freezing air, while in the summer, my skin often peels off due to sunburn. That's why many of my former colleagues stopped cutting hair outdoors."

The barber's trade has not been the same since hairdressing became fashionable. Traditional shaving and snipping has been replaced by a variety of services that range from hair coloring to facial massages. However, Zhang believes the traditional approach will continue to survive.

"Different approaches cater to different groups of customers," he said. "Not everyone necessarily likes service in a hair salon that may last more than an hour and cost hundreds of yuan.

"My service is cheap and quick, and there are still customers who need me. I don't think modern hair salons are a threat to my business."

Most of his clients are middle-aged and elderly men who are accustomed to the traditional style of hairdressing.

Customers passed on Zhang's name, so he became well-known locally. Now some people travel from distant parts of the city to have a haircut.

"There are guys with fancy cars who come to me, but most of my clients are average people," Zhang said.

He earns up to 1,200 yuan a month, and he sometimes refuses to take any money if he thinks a customer is poor.

Zhang has been a barber since he was 16, and some years ago his wife and daughter tried to persuade him to retire.

"They said that spending the whole day outdoors during winter and summer could be bad for my health," he said.

"Chengguan (urban patrol officers) also want me to quit because they think I stand in the way of building a modern Beijing. But I just carry on, though sometimes they jeer at me."

Zhang said he cannot let his customers down, especially those who travel long distances or use wheelchairs.

"I like the excitement in their eyes after I have given them a nice clean cut," he said.

Li Lin contributed to this story.