In a corner of Yuyuan Road, there is a 13-square-meter tailor shop. In the inconspicuous doorway, a long and narrow walkway connects to a steep wooden staircase, which creaks when you step on it. Looking up, there is a slightly worn white door panel. Follow the direction of the eye-catching yellow characters above and turn left. Open the door curtain. 60-year-old Yin Bolong is leaning on a wooden table. The slightly yellowed white tablecloth is stacked with different colors. , various styles of clothing. He held a wooden ruler with a mottled surface in one hand and a chalking piece in the other hand to carefully outline the clothes. A transformation of the clothes was quietly taking place.
Caption: Tailor shop. Photo by Cao Bowen (the same below)
Yin Bolong is an "old master" in the tailoring world. He has been a tailor for nearly 40 years, almost all year round. With a pair of skillful hands and a passion, he used diligence, hard work and persistence as stitches to weave his own wonderful life with countless days and nights.
Caption: Yin Bolong is an "old master" in the tailoring world
He traveled to Shanghai and improved his craftsmanship
Yin Bolong is from Taixing, Jiangsu, and once made leather shoes in his hometown. In 1984, Yin Bolong, who was in his early 20s, came to Shanghai to study under a teacher and started working as a tailor, customizing clothes for customers at home and earning 2.5 yuan a day. “At that time, it was almost 24 hours a day, working every day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and I have to work overtime at night."
In 1988, Yin Bolong worked as a tailor in a clothing factory in Pujiang Town. He worked fifteen or six hours a day, handled more than a dozen pieces of clothing, and earned more than 500 yuan a month. Unfortunately, the good times did not last long. Two years later, the clothing factory closed down due to poor profitability.
So, in 1991, Yinbolong had its first tailor shop. For more than 10 years, he and his wife moved from Zhongshan Park in Changning District to Dingxi Road and then to Xincun Road in Putuo District. The tailor shop moved again and again, and finally settled on Yuyuan Road in Changning District. That’s nearly 20 years.
For Yin Bolong, the tailor shop is not only a place for craftsmanship, but also his home. At the worst time, the shop was only 6 square meters and there was no room for a bed. Yin Bolong and his wife had no choice but to sleep under the table. At that time, the roof was covered with asbestos tiles, and in the summer it was so hot that it felt like taking a sauna, so he used foam plastic boxes to fill the water and put it on the roof to dissipate heat. In order to make ends meet, he got up at 4 a.m. and went to the vegetable market to set up a stall to take orders. "When business is good, I can get six or seven orders. When business is not good, I don't have any orders."
Although the process of opening a store was bumpy, he managed to do it one step at a time. Through his meticulous craftsmanship, Yin Bolong developed a pair of skillful hands in tailoring, sewing and ironing, and fell deeply in love with this craft. "Seeing others wearing the clothes I made gives me a sense of accomplishment."
Caption: Yinbolong has developed a pair of skillful hands in tailoring, sewing and ironing.
Find the right track and study hard.
In 2010, Yinbolong Tailor Shop ushered in a "cold winter". "The clothes in the mall are of various styles and cheap. There are fewer and fewer customers looking for me to hand-customize clothes. The business is bleak. 90% of the tailors have changed careers." Yin Bolong became the remaining 10%. "Not yet." If you want to get better, you can only continue to do it and endure it slowly."
Until 2012, new opportunities appeared. "Many tailor-made suit shops in Shanghai don't know how to alter clothes and will recommend customers to me." But altering clothes is not easier than making clothes. For example, how to change the length of the sleeves of men's suits? Yin Bolong didn't know how to change the sleeves. I can think about it slowly. "Where is the best place to start?" "What's the best way to change this dress?" He sometimes has to think about these questions all night long, and his mind is racing even when he gets up early in the morning for a morning run.
’s hard work day after day finally paid off. Nowadays, Yin Bolong is very good at altering clothes, and his good skills are spread by word of mouth. In his tailor shop, the fee for alterations varies according to the material of the clothing, difficulty of modification and other factors, and usually ranges from 50 to 500 yuan. There is always a notepad on his desk, which densely records the customer's alteration requirements and delivery time, corresponding to the labels on the clothing bags.
Even though he is already in his 60s, Yin Bolong is still very busy every day, working at least 12 hours a day, with almost no rest time except during the Chinese New Year.During the New Year's Day holiday that just passed, Yin Bolong only took half a day off, but he enjoyed it. "My biggest motivation is when customers are satisfied with the clothes I changed."
Caption: Yin Bolong at work
and Keep pace with the times, embrace the stage
"Master, can I come to you to change my clothes at 4:30 this afternoon?" In less than half an hour of interviewing Yin Bolong, he received calls from two customers. Between interviews, he was often busy typing back messages. When asked about the secret of his prosperous business, Yin Bolong raised his mobile phone and began to talk: "I am doing business on the Internet now, and customers come from all over the country."
It turns out that since the rise of the Internet, Yin Bolong has also kept pace with the times. He first learned how to use WeChat, and then opened accounts on Xiaohongshu, Douyin and other platforms to share his experience in changing clothes. He continued to expand his business territory on the Internet and accumulated thousands of fans. Since the customers are not in Shanghai, Yin Bolong communicates with them on WeChat video about their clothing alteration needs, and then completes the alterations by express delivery, including dresses and wedding dresses. In May of this year, a customer from Sanya, Hainan found Yin Bolong's social platform and came to Shanghai in person to find him to alter a high-end dress.
Caption: The tailor shop was listed in the newspaper
With its superb craftsmanship, Yin Bolong has moved out of Shanghai alleys and onto a larger stage. Nowadays, he has become the official dressmaker for many celebrities when they come to Shanghai to participate in events. Weibo Night, Shanghai International Film Festival, TV Festival, Fashion Week and other activities are all active with his presence. “I have served celebrities for more than 100 years. Hundreds, their most expensive clothes cost hundreds of thousands, so I am extra careful every time."
Although it sounds glamorous, what Yin Bolong earns is the hard-earned money he makes every stitch. Whenever a large-scale event is held, he needs to go to the celebrity fittings a day in advance. He often shuttles back and forth to major hotels, and it is common to stay up all night.
When asked about his income, Yin Bolong smiled and said that his life now is much better than before. It is not a problem to support himself and he is already satisfied. He loves this job and has not thought about retiring. "If you can't reach 80 years old, you can always be 70 years old, right?"
Xinmin Evening News trainee reporter Chen Jialin
