As China’s Economy Improves, Self-expression Becomes an Industry

 

“Zuo! Zuo! Zuo, yo, zuo!”

"Left! Left! Left, right, left!"

Two trim rows of young men in black shirts jog down the busy street, shouting in unison over the sounds of morning traffic. Their leader trots beside the formation, exhorting the runners through a portable megaphone.

Every weekday morning before work, the male employees of Beijing’s Mei-Li Hair Salon run a lap around the block, chanting and waving flags as they go. On their return, the female stylists join them on the front steps for calisthenics set to a peppy pop-music beat. A team leader then gathers the newest employees together to discuss their work the day before, and to set new goals. The sessions end with shouts mutual of encouragement: "Jia you!" ("Keep up the good work!")

While taking a more uniform approach with its staff, Mei-Li caters to its customers' individualism, which has flourished in China over the
past decade. During the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and 1970s, “Mao encouraged more
of a nationwide identity rather than individual diversity,” said Mei-Li owner Cheng Qilai. As China steps further into the global spotlight, its
citizens are embracing an eclectic sense of fashion and style that has, in turn, led to a boom in the beauty industry.

Cheng, a soft-spoken man wearing a striped button-down shirt tucked neatly into his jeans, further attributed his salon’s success to his adoption of a rigorous Japanese-inspired business model. “We implement a military-style management system with our employees,” Cheng said, which helps his roughly employees maintain consistency between his five salons in the Beijing area. “My stylists are taught that collaboration is their top priority,” Cheng said. “I feel this spirit is central to our success.”

At the same time, Cheng said, there is room for individual expression within the group. Competition helps build a friendly drive for improvement. “The hairstyling industry in Asia has unique challenges because [Asians] often have similar hair texture, but a wide range of style influences,” he said. His stylists study models and the latest celebrity styles, and the salon frequently sponsors its employees for training in Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, and elsewhere in China. These practices give Mei-Li an edge in a competitive market, Cheng said.

Cheng opened Mei-Li in 1995 when he realized its market potential. Starting with just one stylist, he soon hired more and more, eventually branching out across Beijing’s tourist district. His foresight paid off. Mei-Li charged patrons 3 yuan for a haircut in 1995, but as his business increased, so did its prices—the salon’s most expensive cut now costs 58 yuan.

“Before, our customers only cared about the service,” Cheng said. “But as the quality of life in China has improved, they have begun caring more about the atmosphere as well. This is why good service is so important to our salons.” An average of 100 customers come to Mei-Li every day, and more than 80 percent report they are “extremely satisfied” with their experience, Cheng said.

Many are repeat customers, Cheng said, another key gauge of his success. “If people don’t come back, what good is their patronage? We would run out of first-timers at some point.”

Most of Cheng’s stylists are not Beijing natives, he said. “Our industry tends to be a more stressful one, with long hours and little time off, so people who have better options in the city tend to avoid our line of work.” Mei-Li is open every day from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., later in the summertime. Unlike workers in the U.S., the stylists at Mei-Li work the entire 13-hour shift, six days a week.

However, Cheng says he never lacks employees, from seasoned hairdressers to new apprentices. The company sets personal three- to five-year goals for each stylist, and each employee’s contract runs from one to two years, though it can be renewed beyond that.

Cheng is specific about his vision for Mei-Li’s future. “Within the next five years, we hope to solidify our brand and our culture,” he said. “The group attitude really is everything.” A decade from now, Cheng wants to see 10 Mei-Li branches in Beijing.

“In the past, Chinese people could not dream as much as they can now,” Li said. “But in China now, we can do whatever we enjoy, and be successful at it if we work hard. It’s a very exciting time.”