Small World

Chinese universities are well guarded and self-contained like military bases in the states. "The People's Police" monitor each of four gates (below). On campus there are small restaurants and shops, so there is no need to leave campus unless we want to get away. Today, I found a little barber and beauty shop. Had I told one of the graduate students I needed a haircut, she would have located one in town and accompanied me with great fanfare, but I like working things out for myself.














Seated in the beauty shop was a young man sporting a spike hairdo like mine, so I figured someone knew how to do the haircut. Using gestures and limited Chinese, I conveyed that I wanted my hair cut like the young man's. The shop personnel started laughing-- no self-respecting Chinese woman wears her hair that short. But foreigners are known to be strange. go My haircut looks as good as any I've had back home. Price: 5 yen-- about 63 cents. Below, my hairdresser, and his buddy wearing a spike.