Hairdresser's style wins her fame online

A hairdresser who goes by the nickname Xiaohua has become an internet sensation simply because she tries to understand what customers want.

Since videos of her cutting hair went viral on social media platform Douyin, many tourists have come to her livestreaming sessions to learn her techniques or simply to talk. At peak times, more than 100,000 watch her at once.

Enthusiastic fans are even visiting her shop in Huaihua, Hunan province, to get a haircut.

Xiaohua, whose real name is Li Jing, started to put videos on Douyin in February and has since posted around 400. At first, they didn't attract much attention. But last month, one of her videos suddenly attracted lots of views, as netizens praised her for responding to customers' needs. Many have invited her to open stores in their hometowns or give lectures to hairdressers across the country.

Her Douyin account now has more than 4.51 million fans, and her videos have received more than 15 million likes.

She attributes her popularity to treating her clients as friends and following their instructions when cutting their hair.

"For each client, my intention is to cut their hair to the best of my ability and not add things that they do not want or like, and that's probably the reason that many of my clients come back for me," she said.