Creating experiences

Her initial attraction to the profession was purely aesthetic; she admired the precision and artistry involved in shaping someone's appearance. But she quickly realized that her interest went beyond just styling hair. Hairdressing, she discovered, was about connection. It was about creating an experience — a space where customers felt heard, valued and respected.

"What really sets her apart is her ability to win the hearts of her customers. From the moment someone sits in her chair, there's an unspoken understanding that they'll leave not just with a great haircut, but with a sense of connection and personal attention," says one of Yan Yan's regular customers, 26-year-old Lu Wei, who has been visiting her for nearly two years.

Lu shares her previous disappointing experience before she met Yan Yan.

It was a hot summer afternoon when Lu, on a day off in Beijing, decided to get a haircut. Although it wasn't planned, she felt ready for a new look and confidently strolled into a nearby hair salon. "I wanted a chic, butterfly cut that ended just below the chin — something that says, 'she's effortlessly stylish,'" Lu explains. "I was excited, expecting to leave with a haircut that would make me selfie-ready."

But things quickly went downhill. The young male barber assigned to her seemed confused about what a butterfly cut was and didn't ask any questions about how she usually styled her hair. Instead, he reassured her, "I got this, don't worry. You're going to love it," with a confidence that made Lu feel uneasy.

"Despite my doubts, I went along with it. I reiterated the length and style I wanted. As the minutes passed, an uncomfortable silence settled in," she recalls. "When he said, 'I think we're done,' I was in shock. The result? A haircut that was nothing like what I had envisioned."

Trying to mask her surprise with a tight smile, Lu paid and left the shop, avoiding eye contact with anyone. "I passed a storefront window and had a brief existential crisis. Who was this woman? My hair was much shorter than I expected, and there was no butterfly cut at all," she laughs. By the time she got home, she seriously contemplated putting on a hat and crying.

"I shared my experience with my friends, and they totally understood how frustrating it was," Lu says. "Sometimes hairdressers get stuck in their own groove, cutting hair the way they think looks best, without fully listening to what the customer wants."