Young female beautician, hairdresser runs booming business in Xinjiang's Hotan

Photo shows Amina Mahat applying eye shadow for a customer at her beauty salon. (Photo/People's Daily Online)

Amina Mahat, a young woman who used to provide training related to hairdressing and beauty services, now runs a thriving business at a beauty and hair salon situated in the old town of Tuancheng in Hotan city, a famous scenic spot in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Mahat decided to start her own salon business three years ago in Hotan after she provided training for some women in the city at a friend's invitation.

"My beauty salon soon became the first choice for women who wanted to improve their appearance and hairstyles," Mahat, who was busy applying eye shadow for a customer, told People’s Daily Online.

Mahat's booming business can be attributed to her superb skills and the beautiful scenic spot where her beauty salon is located.

Mahat also teaches her skills to other local women who have a keen interest in the beauty and hairdressing industry.

Photo shows stores with local distinctive characteristics in the old town where Amina Mahat's beauty salon is located. (Photo/People's Daily Online)

Kmenisa Amar, a 23-year-old from Haitiqi village in Hotan county, is one of these enthusiastic women. Amar, whose goal is to open up her own beauty salon, has been apprenticing in Mahat's barbershop for more than two years.

"Now my salary has reached 4,000 yuan ($620) per month, and my makeup and hairstyles frequently win praise from other women in my village," said Amar, with a confident smile on her face.

Mahat is one of many who run shops in the old town of Tuancheng in Hotan city. Beijing has supported the renovation of the old town by investing 153 million yuan in a bid to promote the development of tourism and help locals increase their incomes.

So far, the housing units of 97 households previously without shop space have been renovated with 125 shops. Eighty percent of these shops have already been rented out, generating an average annual return of about 50,000 in rental income for each household.