麻豆社

Where Maoism was once the ideology of China, consumerism has now taken its place and, with it, a growing desire amongst youngsters for all things Western. Wang Lei puts this down to the fact that they did not go through the political turmoils of China's past and therefore have a naive outlook on life. They're lost and feel a lack of belonging. Blindly following fashion in an increasingly materialistic society gives them a sense of identity. Wang Lei admits that he himself went through such a phase. Now that he's older and more mature, he has begun to appreciate his own Chinese culture and to look at his inner self. He hopes to inspire the younger generation to do the same. At the annual Shanghai Hair Show, he wants to highlight the beauty of Chinese people's naturally black hair, a symbol of Chinese culture and something to be proud of. But Shanghai has always had a love affair with the West and Wang Lei knows better than to work against this trend. He acknowledges the mix of East and West, a combination that he too feels is suited to this great and vibrant metropolis.