頭 發

頭 發

來自專欄 國外新聞

Aye Aye Thein, 55, cuts hair for a living at Insein market in the north of Yangon, Myanmars largest city.

But unlike most hairdressers, she doesnt charge her customers. Instead, she pays them.

The country is a major source of human hair, feeding the global demand for wigs, weaves and hair extensions.

"Myanmar hair is the softest, most sought-after hair in Asia," said Aye Aye Thein, whose hair stall is nestled between those of a greengrocer and a betel nut seller.

Figures suggest the global trade in human hair was worth $87.4 million in 2016, with Myanmar the third largest exporter after India and Tunisia.

In Myanmar, hair can be considered sacred: The gilded Shwedagon Pagoda, one of the Buddhist countrys holiest sites, is believed to be built on strands of Buddhas hair.

But its also common for women here to cut their hair to make ends meet and during Buddhist New Year celebrations, when some women and girls become nuns for a short time and cutting off their hair shows an absolute sacrifice, a detachment from any distractions.

Much of this hair makes its way to China, where its processed and sold to hairstylists in the West. But as Myanmar grows richer, opening up after decades of military rule, there are fears that fewer women are willing to part with their locks.

On an average day, Aye Aye Thein says, she has seven to 10 customers.

"Look at this hair! Its really nice," she said, gesturing at one thick clasp of hair in her palm. "Its not oily, not too dry, small bits arent breaking off, light and fluffy."

She then gestured to the tops: "It should be solid, no frizz or split ends."

Costs

The pricing of hair depends on the quality and weight, which is weighed in "viss," a traditional Burmese unit of measurement, roughly equal to 1? kilograms.

Huddled over a battered pair of scales, Aye Aye Thein estimates the price of hair by its feel and a simple scrape of the bundle with an open scissor arm to test for firmness and smoothness.

Placing the hair on the scales, she then measures it in viss with small weights before handing over a wad of money to a customer.

Most transactions range from 15,000 kyat ($11) to over 200,000 kyat ($150) for hair over 10 inches. This income goes a long way in Myanmar, where the minimum wage is 3,600 kyat ($2.70) a day. The hair that fetches the highest price is usually from women with ankle-length hair whose locks can be divided into many bundles to be sold individually.

Men occasionally grow their hair to sell it but its not common -- although buyers dont discriminate between male and female hair.

China is the biggest importer of Myanmar hair, traders said. One Chinese buyer from Gungzhou on a buying trip to Myanmar who declined to give his name explained, "I will then sell this hair to wig or hair extension makers back home."

Making ends meet

Buyers at Insein market say the reasons women want to sell their hair vary. For many, its a much-needed infusion of cash -- whether to save for a house, repay loans or simply have some pocket change.

Phyu Phyu, a 21-year-old student, said she wanted to sell her hair "because it is too hot to have long hair."

She says that with the $45 she made for her long black locks, she will save some, buy clothes with some and donate the rest to the Buddhist monks who weave their way through the city each morning to collect alms.

In the western region of Rakhine, Myanmars second-poorest state, which has been riven by communal violence, the hair trade is seen as a reliable form of income in uncertain times.

Khaing Yu Swe, of the state capital Sittwe, entered the hair trading market 17 years ago: "Before, I did weaving, but buying raw materials was very expensive, and the profit could not cover my familys basic needs."

Anthropologist Emma Tarlo, author of "Entanglement: The Secret Lives of Hair," says the trade has always relied on a mixture of poor women selling their hair and religious donations.

"The fact that Myanmar contains large numbers of long-haired women poor enough to be willing to sell their hair is an important factor," she said.

A selfless act

During the Buddhist new year celebration, Thingyan, which usually falls in April, many women and girls choose to cut off their hair and become nuns for about 10 days.

Yuzana Nyani, a nun, says that this act of selflessness and dedication to Buddhist meditation is a form of making merit to reach Nirvana.

"To cut off your hair reminds us that [hair] really has no sense or spiritual value. ... When it is removed from the body, it doesnt have any worth," Yuzana Nyani said.

May Thet Chayay, 12, chose to become a nun show her parents that she is a good Buddhist.

"We dont need [hair], really," she said. "It feels good. I feel free. You should try it."

Demand outstrips supply

Traders in Yangon and Mandalay, a city in the north of Myanmar where hair sorting is big business, worry that demand is outstripping supply.

"Before, I could just collect the hair myself from women in the city, but now I need to buy more hair from Bangladesh and other countries to mix with Myanmar hair," said Htay Win, a hair merchant in Mandalay who has been in the industry for seven years.

Htay Win is confident that the market will keep booming, although he is concerned about the shortage of good-quality hair. "It is getting harder and harder to buy long enough hair of 50 inches, because women are now choosing to cut their hair shorter and shorter."

He adds that the quest to find virgin or untreated hair is also becoming more challenging. "Women now are dyeing their hair, which affects the price."

Htay Win also collects small amounts of hairballs and strands from combs. This mishmash is not as valuable as cut hair, as it has to be untangled, brushed, washed, dried, conditioned and brushed once more until it shines.

Tarlo says that traders in India and China, the main two processing centers of the hair trade are located, are also expressing anxiety about supplies drying up. But she adds that the trade is not likely to collapse anytime soon, given Myanmars close proximity to the two and its relative poverty.

"People are getting wealthier, trendier, more concerned with their appearances and so forth," she said. However, "when you look at historical sources, you find that even in the 19th century, hair collectors were always complaining that hair supplies were running out."

描寫的是緬甸的一個貿易市場，通過買賣頭髮。這十分有趣，特別是一個叫Aye Aye Thein，她和其他人不一樣，不僅把頭髮賣給他人，還給對方錢。

這裡的女性依靠買頭髮來維持家裡的生活，這會不會誇大頭髮的價值了。甚至有男性也留長發，商家無法分別男女頭髮有何不同。這個地方的女性地位是不是高於男性呢？女權社會？還是女性單純的掙錢養家？

另一面，突出了這裡的平窮。依靠這麼低端的商品和勞動渠道，怎麼能發展經濟了。

依稀的記得，小時候，媽媽也買過一次頭髮。那時候，街道上總會出現「收頭髮，收烏龜殼」的聲音。

緬甸與印度和中國挨得比較近，同時中國對頭髮的需求也相對於比較大。他們的交易對象也有中國。中國的一些商家也主動的去緬甸去收購頭髮，在我印象中，頭髮還可以做醬油。依稀記得，當我知道這事後，不怎麼敢用醬油了。畢竟還是對用屬於人類身上的東西去製造商品，換做是動物的頭髮，我倒是無所謂，這心理是不是很奇葩。

還有一個比較有趣的事，就是當地存在一種現象。有些人從小就被教育，剃髮為尼是一件光榮的事情，無私的奉獻頭髮給僧人。每年的時候，定期來收頭髮，性質類似獻血一樣。

這樣的交易，維持不久。如果不作出相應的變化，當地的頭髮產業會面臨危機的。當地的人，更加找不到掙錢途徑。

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