Datong barbers are a cut above competition

HEFEI－As a sunbeam pierces through the cracks in the wooden roof and shines on a rusty chair with flower carvings, Shi Hancheng uses an old-fashioned shaver to work on the chin, cheek, ears and eyebrows of a customer.

Called xiumian or face-shaving in English, the craft is one in which Shi excels. He is a barber in Datong Barbershop, located in the Datong Ancient Town in the city of Tongling, East China's Anhui province. The barbershop was built during the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). A brick from a wall and various old items in the shop are witness to more than 100 years of glory and decline it has experienced.

The shop has been under spotlight as the country recently observed the Cultural and Natural Heritage Day.