Ten yuan (US $1.60) gets one an ear-lowering and a dry shave with a straight razor. Being the youngest patron in the place by forty years was not surprising. Being the proprietor’s “first foreign customer” was nothing short of an honor.

How many people still ply a trade where their primary tools for making a living can be stored within a small drawer built into the seat of a chair?

Probe far enough beneath the hustle and bustle of China’s megalopolises, and one can still find pockets where Mao suits, army caps, and black cotton shoes are the sartorial norm. For now, at least.