The Hair Seller of Anshun

The Hair Seller of Anshun: Photo of the Week

the hair seller of Anshun at Anshun Sunday Market: 安顺星期七农民市场
Hair seller Anshun Sunday Market 安顺市场 卖头发的农民

Anshun Sunday Market: Buy Some hair!

The Hair Seller of Anshun: Not so long ago Anshun’s Sunday Market was one of the biggest, most vibrant and exotic in China. Kilometers of streets filled with farmers, traders, ethnic minorities, craftsmen and a gaggle of pockpockets. These days the market is a mere shadow of its former self and is restricted to a few delapidated streets.

These photos were taken in 2003 and show the hair seller at the market.

weighing the human hair the hair seller of Anshun at Anshun Sunday Market: 安顺星期七农民市场
Hair seller Anshun Sunday Market 安顺市场 卖头发的农民

Bags of Human Hair

His bags are full of human hair that are sold in small bundles mostly to women who attach it to their own hair, either to cover thinning or to make it look longer. The bundles are sold by weight.

the hair seller of Anshun at Anshun Sunday Market: 安顺星期七农民市场
Anshun Sunday Market selling hair 安顺市场 卖头发的农民

I would be interested to know how he obtains the hair. Does he pay women to cut him a piece. Does he go to the hairdresser’s to collect cuttings? Or does he sneekily snip off the hair when the woen are shopping in the market? Given the number of pickpockets we saw at work at the Sunday Market the latter wouldn’t surprise me.

We will be re-posting our article about Anshun’s Sunday Market market very soon. Article now posted.