“Portrait” preserves fading tradition

Shanghai's 80+ year old WuZhou Barbershop.

Shanghai’s 80+ year old WuZhou Barbershop.

Here is an amazing short documentary “Portrait of a Barber” by director Jeffrey Chu. I have had the luck of working with this great film maker on several occasions. The music in this film is by another Shanghai talent Uj He. It is about one of the last old-style barbershops in Shanghai. In true documentary style, Chu is preserving something that is worth sharing. This 80+ year old shop will be torn down soon and Chu decided to preserve its image. The barber himself was pretty sparse with commentary, but some of the things he said are powerful about the history that the shop represents. The images are beautifully shot and portray the texture and feel of the history and tradition of this shop. The music of UJ HE brings a delightful surprise to truly make this video pay off as Chu pushes the boundaries of the documentary genre with an experimental twist. It is truly delightful. Watch it on VIMEO and please give it a “heart” (vimeo’s form of like) and a comment! Thanks Jeffrey Chu for preserving a piece of our history. https://vimeo.com/99383268