Get a Haircut, Drink a Beer, Save Your Uncle at Jing-A

原创 Vincent R. Vinci theBeijinger

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With Chinese New Year right around the corner, it’s time to bring in some of that sweet sweet luck. While there are a great many ways to do this – sweeping up, eating dumplings, pleading with the Kitchen God – one tradition that always gets us is cutting one’s hair – because it’ll save our uncle.

Joking aside, not cutting your hair throughout 正月 zhēngyuè – which can be loosely translated as New Year Month – is a pretty big deal, as it ties in with maintaining any luck accrued during Spring Festival.

But there’s a deeper, more macabre history as well, which ties into the death of one’s uncle. At the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, the new government proclaimed all men had to cut their hair to fit an approved style – the long braided queue. Those who refused said they were doing it to remember the past, or 思旧 sī jiù.

Somewhere down the line, since si jiu sounds similar to 死舅 sǐ jiù, or "kill your uncle," it was misinterpreted to mean that if you cut your hair, your uncle would die. And thus, even though the queue became the predominant hairstyle throughout China, the mix up stuck.

Today, you don’t need to worry about getting a queue to meet anyone’s wishes, you can get just about any hairstyle you want. And, lest you forget to cut your hair so close to the Year of the Tiger, Jing-A has got your back with their annual Cut Your Hair, Save Your Uncle event this Saturday.

A Jing-A tradition since 2016, the hutong barber pop-up is a chance to not only get a trim but also enjoy a beer while the barbers snip away for just RMB 60 (first come, first served).

Plus, while you wait, you can partake in traditional games and distractions, like jianzi and the Jing-A Long Jump Challenge!

Head on down to Longfusi this weekend to make sure your uncle is saved! And, as always, Jing-A recommends some pizzas and barbecue while you wait in the barber queue.

The Hutong Haircut event takes place this Saturday, Jan 22, from noon to 5pm at Jing-A’s Longfusi Taproom. RMB 60 gets you a haircut and a free beer while supplies last.