Stylish barbers "Xingzhe" offer free haircuts, hoping to one day see "poverty" in a museum

▲ The dream of cutting hair comes to life under the scissors, brought to full expression by Xingzhe. (Photo provided by Yi Yun)

Reported and photographed by You [character missing] Ru / Taipei

"Kids in rural areas are really innocent. They don’t ask for celebrity hairstyles, but instead want a 'hundred-pace viper' cut, or even a 'top-grade' haircut because they did terribly on their exams." Recalling the joyful scenes of the children at Tusu Elementary School in Taitung, Seven couldn't help but smile. "After finishing the haircuts that day and returning to Taipei, the five of us decided to quit our jobs and truly become 'Xingzhe'."

"We all have a dream — that one day, 'poverty' can be placed in a museum." Yesterday (6th), in the early afternoon, in the quiet alley of Da’an District, Taipei, in the front yard of an old house that’s now a café, dozens of young people specially came to get haircuts at this "coffee shop." In the slightly cool breeze of early spring, five stylists set up a flag bearing the name "Xingzhe" in the yard, then picked up their scissors and started working under the sunlight. All the proceeds from the haircuts that afternoon were donated to Dongqing Elementary School on Lanyu Island and a young Taiwanese who is heading to Antarctica to study climate change.


 
▲ In the slightly cool breeze of early spring, five stylists set up a flag bearing the name "Xingzhe" in the yard, then picked up their scissors and started working under the sunlight.

These five Taiwanese men in their twenties, who call themselves "Xingzhe," are all handsome and skilled, each with exceptional talent and dexterity. By calling themselves "Xingzhe," they express their hope to travel the world using their craft to help others, spreading the spirit of "Xingzhe": traveling far and wide, achieving much through simplicity, success through action, and wisdom through humility.

 
▲ Carrying toolboxes to give haircuts on the streets marked the beginning of Xingzhe's "no turning back."

"One day, we did something fun on the street, and there was no turning back after that." The story goes back to an autumn afternoon in October 2011. Back then, the Xingzhe team weren’t yet “Xingzhe,” but a group of hairstylists who loved beauty and worked in high-end salons. One day, these stylish young men wandered the streets of Taipei’s East District with their toolboxes, and came up with a spontaneous idea: "Why don’t we give free haircuts to passersby and try fundraising?" So they made a donation box, doodled their names on it, and started “street soliciting.”

"How much we raised, I don’t even remember. I just remember donating it to the orphanage in Zhonghe, because I used to live next to an orphanage when I was a kid." Seven, one of the Xingzhe members, said that to find more clients for haircuts, the group walked around the streets stopping occasionally. When someone agreed to a haircut, they’d find a small spot by the roadside to sit down. In the end, all the money in the box was donated. "Once that first cut was made, there was no stopping."




▲ After cutting the hair of children at a school in Taitung, the five Taiwanese twenty-somethings decided to quit their jobs.

Each of them came up with personal reasons such as "needing to repay debts" or "having to return home for work." After leaving the high-end salon, they officially formed the Xingzhe team. They worked part-time at various salons and also accepted more invitations to give free haircuts and help fulfill dreams.



▲ As long as there is a dream of helping others, Xingzhe is willing to give up everything for it.

"We hope our work isn’t just commercial, but can also combine work, interest, and life." Whenever a free haircut event is scheduled, the five guys drop everything without hesitation, grab their toolboxes packed with all kinds of barber tools, and head to the designated location to provide free haircuts. Schools, roadsides, cafés, antique shops — you can find them everywhere. As long as there is a dream of helping others, Xingzhe is willing to give up everything for it.

"In the process of cutting hair, we often feel that we’re not the ones helping others — it’s the others who are helping us." As they got to know more dreams and stories, Xingzhe began creating their own space. This time, they built a studio named “()” on Andong Street in Taipei City. Without attaching any special name, they combined infinite possibilities and dreams within the salon.


▲ Cutting hair on the roadside, they encountered a crowd of Japanese onlookers.

▲ To help a young person go to Antarctica and raise funds for Dongqing Elementary School on Lanyu Island, Xingzhe offered a day of free haircuts.

"But if we’re needed for free haircuts, () can still take a day off. We’ll close up and go cut hair somewhere else." The dream of Xingzhe is simple and pure, yet contains deep meaning. It’s just like the slogan for this free haircut campaign: "We all have a dream — that one day, 'poverty' can be placed in a museum."


▲ The original meaning of "Xingzhe": traveling far and wide, achieving much through simplicity, success through action, and wisdom through humility.


【()】- Xingzhe's shop, moved in on February 21
Address: No. 3, Lane 40, Andong Street, Da’an District, Taipei City
Phone: 0970 424 177
Website:http://www.facebook.com/Art.Charity.Education