The deft scraping of a straight razor over the inside of a customer's eyelid to clear moisturising glands and refresh the eye is gaining some popularity on China's streets.
Chinese street barber Xiong Gaowu, 62, first learnt the practice in the 1980s and says he now serves up to eight customers each week at NZD$17 per shave.
"You should be gentle, very, very gentle," said Xiong, who performs traditional eyelid shaves at his roadside location in Chengdu, the capital of the southwestern province of Sichuan.
Customers swear by the practice of "blade wash eyes", as it is known in Mandarin, saying they trust Xiong's skill with the blade.
"No, it's not dangerous," said 68-year-old Zhang Tian.
"My eyes feel refreshed after shaving and I feel comfortable."
The technique appears to unblock moisturising sebaceous glands along the rim of the eyelid, said Qu Chao, an opthalmologist who works at a nearby hospital in Chengdu.
"Patients will feel their eyes are dry and uncomfortable when the glands are blocked," she said. "When he is shaving, it is most likely that he is shaving the openings of these glands."
She said there was a risk of infection if the equipment was not sterilised.
"If he can properly sterilise the tools that he uses, I can still see there is a space for this technique to survive," Qu said.
While customers insisted their eyes felt better after a shave, onlookers cringed at the sight of Xiong wielding his razor.
"I am afraid to do it," said He Yiting, 27, who winced as she watched.
Reuters
