Fifty-year-old Liu is proud of her long hair. "It has grown for 27 years, as old as my own daughter, who is also 27. I had my hair cut only once when I was pregnant," she said.

When asked if it is an easy job to take daily care of her long hair, Liu smiled. "It sometimes brings me into awkward situations. Once it almost wound into my electric-motorbike when I was trying to give way to passersby. And another time, I almost fell when someone stepped on my hair when walking down an overpass."

But she loves her hair more than the troubles it brings about, even refusing a 10,000-RMB deal recently to sell her hair to an acting group.
[CFP/Wu Cheng]