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Classes on facials, hair perming, and eyebrow grooming, hundreds of trainees from all across China enrol in the Wenfeng Beauty and Hairdressing School to realise their dreams of becoming hairdressers and beauticians under the tutelage of Chen Hao. But the sight of students dressed in military uniforms, practicing drills in the courtyard reveals that the school is far from a typical institute of beauty. “I don’t listen to anyone’s opinion. I don’t let anyone influence me. Only I get to influence you, I educate you.” Raised in a working class family, Chen Hao’s mission is to “make people 20 years younger and live 30 years older” through his work, travelling across China to harness the knowledge and techniques of the country’s great health and spiritual virtuosos. The Wengfeng Cosmetology Group, which was founded in 1995, aims to create a military-style, “unified standard“ for its salons across the country. Read director Noah Sheldon talks about the filming challenges:
