Honored that this film was selected as one of Nowness.asia ‘s best short films of 2020.
See it here…
https://www.nowness.asia/story/the-school-of-beauty-and-long-life
Hundreds of trainees from all across China enroll in the Wenfeng Beauty and Hairdressing School to realize their dreams under the tutelage of Chen Hao
At the Wenfeng Beauty and Hairdressing School on the outskirts of Shanghai, hundreds of trainees from across China have enrolled themselves to follow their dreams of becoming hairdressers and beauticians, all under the tutelage of its enigmatic founder and CEO, Chen Hao. With classes on facials, hair perming, and eyebrow grooming, the curriculum offered seems like standard beauty school fare. But the sight of students dressed in military uniforms, practicing drills in the courtyard reveals that the school is far from a typical institute of beauty.
“Originally I’d been interested in exploring the idea that hair is a tool for social mobility in China. For many, owning a salon is the ultimate occupation for entry into the middle class,” director Noah Sheldon explains. “Across the country, factory workers and teenagers growing up in rural areas dream of having their own salon one day. For those students enrolling at Wenfeng, they are taking their first momentous steps towards that goal and their optimism is palpable. It wasn’t until we started shooting at the school that we realised the centre of the story would be Chen Hao and the tactics he employs to capitalise on this optimism.”
Raised in a working class family, Chen Hao’s mission is to “make people 20 years younger and live 30 years older” through his work, travelling across China to harness the knowledge and techniques of the country’s great health and spiritual virtuosos. The Wengfeng Cosmetology Group, which was founded in 1995, aims to create a military-style, "unified standard" for its salons across the country. Most employees of its various salons, and cosmeticians, must take courses and pass examinations at the school. Zhou Jie, a student of Wenfeng from central Hunan province, says that the military style of education at Wenfeng has been advantageous for his career. “I have adapted well. When I was at home, without strict rules, I used to get up very late everyday. But after I came here, there is a really strict atmosphere, which will be a huge help for me in the future,” said Zhou.
Yet, despite his apparent charisma and behavioural grandeur, securing an interview with Chen Hao proved to be the biggest challenge during the filming process. “We had many interviews scheduled with him that ultimately all ended in him changing his mind at the last minute and deciding he didn’t feel like appearing on film. We were told he was very camera shy and, despite having his image plastered all over the school, rarely liked to be in front of the lens,” Sheldon shares. “This experience was extremely at odds with the personality he presented, and when finally interviewed, he roundly critiqued (and offended) each member of our crew in turn and talked for a solid 20 minutes with almost no prompt.”