Shanghai college students’ call for hair donations receives wide support

(Photo courtesy of Tsingsi)

There’s no such thing as a bad hair day for Tsingsi Hair Donation Organization.

Started by three university students, this hair-centered charity project has put hair donation under the national spotlight. The project has helped more Chinese realize that apart from giving money and offering time, people can donate hair to make wigs for cancer sufferers.

(Photo courtesy of Tsingsi)

For four years, thousands of Good Samaritans have waited patiently for their hair to grow longer than 25 centimeters, without perms and hair dyes for at least two years, in order to donate their natural hair to a good cause.

So far, a total of 7,883 donated tresses have been turned into 188 wigs, igniting a light of hope for 133 cancer patients in China.

Zhang Xi (pseudonym), 58, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. She has had 13 rounds of chemotherapy in Changzheng Hospital in east China’s Shanghai. After three months of chemo, it was not only her hair that started to slip away but also her confidence.

(Photo courtesy of Tsingsi)

A new wig made from real hair put a long-lost smile back on Zhang’s face when volunteers from Tsingsi Hair Donation Organization presented it to her at the hospital in March. She was so grateful for the precious gift. Compared to synthetic materials, real hair is way more comfortable.

“I don’t need to wear a hat anymore,” she said.

All 30 members of the organization are delighted when a cancer patient receives a wig, and it reminds them that their hard work is paying off, the organization members agreed during an interview with People’s Daily Online.

Wei Yan’er came up with the idea when she was a student at the University of North Carolina in 2014. She was inspired by her family’s persistent hair donations in the US.

After finding out that there are not many places in China that accept hair donations, she called two friends, Li Jiawen and Wang Suruo, and set up Tsingsi Hair Donation Organization at Shanghai Foreign Studies University. Two other students from the university, Li Ruiyue and Qiao Zhenni, helped with daily operations.

Starting with a five-member team, the organization received support from Lujiazui Community Foundation, Rebecca Hair Products Co. Ltd., dozens of universities across the country, and thousands of donors from all over the world, including the United States, Singapore, and India.

“Earning people’s trust was one of the biggest struggles we had at first, since hair donation isn’t that popular in China,” Xu Sihan, current project leader, told People’s Daily Online. Some of the donors would constantly call and ask whether their hair made its way to the patients.

To make sure their good intentions did not disappoint doners, Xu led her team to launch a mobile website with features for donors to track their donated hair and the organization’s events.

There were estimated 4.3 million new cancer cases in China in 2015, according to the National Central Cancer Registry of China. In addition to dealing with the disease, cancer patients need to cope with all kinds of side effects, including hair loss during chemotherapy.

Xu said that most cancer patients who find out about Tsingsi Hair Donation Organization will apply for a short wig, hoping that it can make them look more cheerful.

A comfortable high-quality wig is more than just making the cancer patient look “normal.” It helps them to continue to enjoy life by looking as fabulous as possible. Xu said it definitely feels rewarding whenever she sees the face of a patient turn joyful.

“Tsingsi will carry on the good deed and become one of the most influential charities in China,” she said confidently.