HKFP Lens: Historic Hong Kong alleyway shop Oi Kwan Barbers keeps tradition from fading away

Hong Kong Free Press

Tucked in an alleyway between two non-descript buildings in Wan Chai, Oi Kwan Barbers is a traditional Cantonese-style barbershop.

Kyle_HKFP_20230712-2 — Mark Lau gives haircut to a man. Photo: Kyle Lam

“My father founded this barbershop in 1962, and worked hard for a living. He always told me that becoming a barber in Hong Kong was not an honourable profession,” the shop’s owner, Mark Lau, told HKFP.

Different Shaving brushes were displayed at Oi Kwan Barbershop — Different Shaving brushes were displayed at Oi Kwan Barbers. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

Born in 1990, Lau grew up surrounded by barbershop tools that were older than him. In the 1990s, the barbershop had a thriving business with three barbers working alongside each other in the alley and a dozen people queuing up outside.

Kyle_HKFP_20230712-1 — Mark Lau gives haircut to a man. Photo: Kyle Lam

Sometimes, customers would even argue about queue-jumping, Lau said.

While traditional barbershops are no longer in trend, Lau decided to learn the trade in 2014 after his father got cancer.

Old photos of Mark Lau’s father and his old customers. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

Unfortunately, six months after Lau became a fully fledged barber, his father passed away. “The shop is full of memories for me and my family. That is why I took over the business,” he said.

The original price board on the wall. In the 1990s, the haircut price was 60 HKD per head. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

The alleyway barbershop is also a place for connecting with the community. “Most of our customers are long-time residents of Wan Chai. Some of them are actually the grandchildren of my father’s customers,” Lau said.

Razors Oi Kwan Barbershop — Razors with different shape and angle of edge.

However, the buildings surrounding the alley may soon succumb to redevelopment, which means Oi Kwan Barbershop faces an uncertain future as an old Hong Kong brand.

The old style haircut chair, it can transform into a lying chair for shaving service. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

Lau said he had no relocation plans yet, but has enlisted artists to visit Oi Kwan Barbershop most Fridays to create artworks, which will be exhibited in Kuala Lumpur, in Malaysia, and Nanjing, in mainland China, in the next few months before returning to Hong Kong next March.

Kyle_HKFP_20230712-4 — Mark Lau gives haircut to a man. Photo: Kyle Lam

Mark Lau in front of Oi Kwan Barbershop — Mark Lau hopes to continue running the barbershop in the same place in the future. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

If he can, Lau hopes to continue running the barbershop in the same place. “My father was a role model who taught me persistence. Hong Kong can also have its own barber culture,” he said.

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https://hongkongfp.com/2023/07/15/hkfp-lens-historic-hong-kong-alleyway-shop-oi-kwan-barbers-keeps-tradition-from-fading-away/