Anne Zhang

    zhangy49@gmail.com

    INSPIRED by a woman who sold her 2-meter-long hair for charity, a 44-year-old Shenzhen man is auctioning his long hair online and plans to donate the money to a local impoverished child who is suffering from autism.

    Yan Xiaoping is a Hunan native who came to Shenzhen in 2002. He started to grow his hair out 17 years ago, and his hair is now nearly 1.3 meters long.

    Yan, a member of the Volunteers Association in Longhua New Area, said his fellow volunteers told him about the Shenzhen woman who auctioned her hair for 22,222 yuan (US$3,643) last month and donated the money to help set up a reading room at a school in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

    Yan said he also wanted to get rid of his mane for a good cause.

    Yan’s volunteer group is helping a poor local family whose son is suffering from autism, and Yan’s friends suggested he sell his hair to help the boy.

    The association helped Yan connect with Longfei, a charitable team that auctions donated personal items to help people in need.

    Liang Yongning, Longfei’s team leader, started the auction on Sina Weibo on Saturday. The initial bidding price was 888 yuan and will end at 10 p.m. next Tuesday.

    One person bid 1,088 yuan for the hair as of yesterday, Liang said.

    Yan and his wife run a barbershop in Longhua New Area. He said he spends about 16 hours a day working at his shop. “Such a routine life is boring, so I joined the volunteer group and spare some time to help others every week,” Yan said. “Now I feel much happier and more fulfilled.”

    Yan often goes to a local school in the morning to help students safely cross a busy street to get to the school. He also helps with chores at a local nursing home for the elderly once a month.

    Yan’s wife initially criticized him for getting so much publicity, but after learning he was auctioning his hair for charity, she showed her support and said it is a “good deed.”