Styling is no sweat for deaf barbers

Free from loud music and stilted greetings, a quiet barber shop run by six deaf people who can't speak in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, has retained its customers through patient service and a spirit of self-reliance.

The 44-year-old owner, Wuhan native Ye Xuejing, lost her hearing when she was 2 years old as a result of a fever. Though raised in a struggling family, she wasn't beaten by her hardscrabble existence, and grew to become courageous and strong-minded.

"My husband and I had worked in several different places, from a manufacturing plant for telecommunications parts to a printing house after we graduated from a school for the deaf in Wuhan when we were 17," she said.

"I remember that over the 10 years we worked for McDonald's, our clothes were drenched in sweat during the summertime, and we only earned 2,000 yuan per month at the time."

She said that she had cut and cared for her relatives' hair since she was a child because the family was poor, and that this may help explain her passion for hairdressing.

In 2017, Ye joined a hairdressing training session organized by the local disabled people's association.

"There were teachers showing us what to do, and I became known to more people due to my hairdressing skills. Then, I was invited to many communities to cut the hair of people with disabilities, and also to work as a volunteer at two regular gatherings of the city's sign language learners. It made me happy because they were pleased with my work," she said.

Ye said that many of her peers appreciated her skills and often told her that she should open a salon to offer quality hairdressing services to more deaf people.

"It's quite a big market as there are over 20,000 people with hearing impairments in Wuhan," she said.

She decided to open her own place after winning a prize at a provincial-level beauty arts skill competition in 2018.

Together with two friends, who are also hearing impaired and enthusiastic about hairdressing, she opened the salon in 2019. Three more deaf barbers joined shortly after.

The first step is always the hardest. Ye said she wasn't able to afford space on busier streets, so she settled on a small, 20-square-meter shop front in a residential community instead.

"We didn't have many customers the first week, though many of our deaf friends came to use our services. Transportation links to the shop weren't convenient, and people in the community didn't visit for fear they wouldn't be able to communicate with us well," she said.

To attract more customers, Ye hung a banner outside the store publicizing her hairdressing prize and handed out coupons for free haircuts to residents and passersby.

Her hard work paid off. The salon's excellent service earned it a good reputation in the city and attracted a lot of attention from social media.

"Hearing customers had some misunderstandings about us at the start and were afraid they wouldn't be able to complain if got a bad cut. Thanks to media promotion, they got to know my team, who are always kind," she said.

"They book our services through WeChat before visiting and text us their needs or the hairstyles they want once they get here."

She said that the six cutters always smile as they welcome customers, and each has hung self-introductions on the wall so that clients know their names. "It's very important to be sincere and treat everyone warmly, from the heart. We ask what they need by texting on a phone before we start, and ask them whether they are satisfied the same way once we've finished," Ye said. "We are kind to every client, which helps us earn their trust and praise, and even gifts. They often introduce their friends and families to us."

In September last year, Ye moved the salon from the community to a busier street. To her surprise, many of her regulars still visit the salon, even though it takes them longer to get there.