A visitor poses for a photo with a wig on her head during the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, July 1, 2023. (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo)
In news that might turn heads, a significant portion of the wigs produced worldwide originate from an unexpected source -- a remote mountainous Chinese town.
This town is Shuijiang in east China's Jiangxi Province. Since the first wig enterprise set foot there in 2018, the town has seen a remarkable transformation, and now boasts a staggering 93 wig enterprises.
At Sanxi Yuansu hair accessories factory in Xiaodong Village, Zeng Defu, the factory owner, finds himself constantly besieged by incoming calls -- all from overseas buyers.
"We can hardly keep up with orders, and we plan to recruit an additional 30 employees," Zeng said.
Remarkably, buyers from over half of the countries worldwide have purchased wig products from his factory, which currently churns out 300,000 sets of hair accessories annually, he said.
Lin Sheng'an, general manager of Jiangxi Anxin Import & Export, has also enjoyed a surge in demand from overseas markets. During the just-concluded May Day holiday, employees at his wig factory had to work in shifts to ensure the timely delivery of orders from the United States, Italy, and Spain.
Shuijiang's wig companies collectively produce over 30 million wig sets annually, with 13 of these firms engaged in export trade, generating approximately 113 million yuan (about 15.9 million U.S. dollars) in overseas sales, according to official data.
The wig industry has emerged as a cornerstone of the local economy, providing employment for over 2,000 villagers in the surrounding areas.
Huang Quanfeng, a housewife-turned wig factory worker in Xiaodong Village, often marvels at the fact that wigs made by villagers end up being worn by people in the "fashion capital" of Paris.
"I was once solely responsible for taking care of my sickly mother-in-law and two kids at home, and the whole family had to rely on my husband who is a migrant worker in big cities," the 30-year-old said.
Huang now sews over 100 wig caps a day. With her newfound employment, she can earn up to 4,000 yuan per month, allowing her to support her family and even purchase a car last year.
Liu Xiaolan, 59, from Xiaodong Village, is in charge of styling wigs. Her job in the wig factory has enabled her to earn an additional 3,000 to 4,000 yuan per month.
"More than 70 percent of the labor force in the village works in wig factories," said Du Bing, Party secretary of Xiaodong Village. "I no longer worry about underprivileged households falling back into poverty."
"To assist disabled employees, the factory even moved machines to some of their homes, allowing them to work from home," Du said.
The booming wig industry has become a beacon of hope for local rural revitalization, with the total output value of the industry in the town reaching 250 million yuan last year.
"The thriving industry has attracted many people back to their hometown for work," Du said. "Opportunities abound here."