Akinade Iyanuoluwa Dolapo, Nigeria/Akinade Iyanuoluwa Dolapo，尼日利亚

Sustainability, green development, economic development, and low carbon emissions all are hot topics world leaders are discussing in their race to save the planet. Every day, people are also discussing ways to contribute to making the planet greener and healthier so that all living beings can have a mutually prosperous future. Industries are now entering the era of green development and green business. In my sector, which is beauty, the topic of sustainable green development has now become the forefront of all discussions. Beauty products, from hair to body product content, are now being revised to become more balanced with nature and the human body. This is very exciting.

绿色低碳、可持续性发展，是各国领导人在拯救地球的讨论中的核心话题。每天，人们都在讨论如何让地球变得更绿色、更健康，让环境和生物都能拥有一个共同繁荣的未来。各行各业正在进入绿色发展、绿色经营的时代。在我所在的美容行业，可持续绿色发展的话题也已经成为讨论的焦点。美容产品，从美发产品到美体产品的内容，现在都在进行修订，以更加平衡自然和人体。这非常令人兴奋。

With my client, 和我的顾客在一起

As a professional hair stylist, I understand the vital importance of knowing about the ingredients and the science contributing to hair care and how to tend to all hair types properly, including different races. In my home country Nigeria, we are famously known for our natural products, such as Shea Butter, Black Soap, Sandalwood, and palm oil. Multiple brands use these ingredients worldwide as a base product combined with other chemicals. It is imperative we as humans reexamine the way we utilize the world's natural resources. In recent years, there has been a shift in the beauty industry, where the focus is placed on transforming all sectors' supply chains. As a serial entrepreneur, hardworking woman, mom, wife, daughter, sister, and friend, I especially care about what comes in and out of my body, in addition to understanding where they come from.

作为一名专业的发型师，我比较了解有助于护发的成分和科学以及如何正确护理所有类型头发的重要性，包括各个种族。在我的祖国尼日利亚，我们以天然产品闻名，如乳木果油、黑肥皂、檀香和棕榈油。这些成分在全球范围内被多个品牌用作基础产品，并与其他化学品结合使用。作为人类，我们必须重新审视我们利用世界自然资源的方式。近年来，美容行业发生了转变，重点放在改造所有行业的供应链上。作为一名连续创业者、勤劳的女性、妈妈、妻子、女儿、姐妹和朋友，我特别关心我们身体上使用的东西，包括它们从何而来。

Growing up, my mother loved doing DIY hair and skin care product projects at home. She strongly believed in the importance of maintaining a unique balance with nature while also understanding the vital role nature plays in enhancing a person's quality of life. During her multiple DIY projects, she would have me assist her in collecting and grinding natural ingredients. This process was a tradition passed on to her from her mother and now to me. Everyone in the household used my mother's natural products regardless of gender. Looking back, I cherish how she looked with the light in her eyes when mixing each batch of raw materials and the joy she felt when she instructed me. As a child, I could not quite understand the reasons why we did not purchase these same materials from the store. However, as an adult, I now understand. My mother instilled some great principles in me. She wanted me to appreciate the importance of my traditional roots and the importance of natural ingredients. Thank you, Mama. You are the best!

Natural beauty standards of Nigeria尼日利亚的自然美标准

从小到大，我妈妈喜欢在家做 DIY 美发和护肤产品项目。她坚信与自然保持独特平衡的重要性，同时也理解纯自然在提高一个人的生活质量方面所起的重要作用。在她的多个DIY项目中，她会让我帮助她收集和研磨天然成分。这个过程是她母亲传给她的传统，现在又传给了我。家里的每个人都使用我母亲的天然产品，不分性别。回首往事，我很珍惜当她在搅拌每一批原料时的神态，我会看到她眼中的光芒，也很珍惜她指导我时的喜悦。小时候，我不太明白为什么我们不从商店购买这些相同的产品。但是，作为一个成年人，我现在明白了。我母亲向我逐步培养了一些伟大的观念。她想让我意识到我们传统根源和自然原料的重要性。谢谢妈妈。你是最棒的！

Prior to coming to China, I was a moderately successful serial entrepreneur. I engaged in multiple business ventures, from salons to running a well-established grocery store. These experiences equipped me with the adaptability skills I needed when I finally moved to Beijing. My first trip to Beijing was in 2011, which later turned into three subsequent trips before settling down in Beijing in the year 2014.

来中国之前，我是一个还算成功的连续创业者。我从事过多种商业投资，从美容厅到经营一家成熟的杂货店。这些经历为我提供了最终移居北京所需的适应能力。我第一次来北京是在2011年，之后又进行了三次旅行，然后在2014年定居下来。

As a textured hair individual, salons and hair products are a must-have on the list of adaptability necessities when moving to a new city or country. In my search for these necessities, I had my first-ever experience at a Chinese salon in Beijing. It was a completely new experience, not only for myself but for the Chinese beauticians as well. What I immediately noticed was that the beauticians were all male. This was something starkly different from what I knew. In my country Nigeria, beauticians are predominately female. Salons that hosted a large number of male beauticians were called barbers, who predominately catered to male customers. The salons in my country were known as female sanctuaries, while the barber shop was a male sanctuary. I was pleasantly surprised by the difference in gender roles and even more curious to discover what other differences the Chinese beauty industry had when compared to my country. I soon discovered the second major difference when a Chinese male hair specialist attended to me. He was immediately surprised by the texture of my hair, as it was his first encounter. We both immediately realized that they could not cater to my hair care needs, as the Chinese beauticians were only trained to cater to Asian clients. From that experience, I began searching to discover salons that catered to diverse customers. The supply to this demand in Beijing and China proved to be limited but emerging. My search led me to the Chinese province of Guangdong, known for having the largest number of people from the African continent. This was my second most memorable moment. It was amazing to witness the thriving African community in this province, famously known for international trade and business. Guangdong province offered me the solution to not only my hair and skin issues but also aided in launching my new venture in Beijing, which focused on expanding my sustainable beauty enterprise. I witnessed firsthand the grassroots level of Africa-China trade relations and its impacts on Guangdong's local communities. Therefore， I wanted to extend that influence to Beijing's market.

作为一个卷发人，当搬到一个新的城市或国家时，美发厅和美发产品是适应生活必需品清单上的必备品。在我寻找这些必需品的过程中，我在北京的一家中国美发厅有了第一次的体验。这是一次全新的体验，不仅对我自己，对中国美容师也是如此。我立刻注意到美容师都是男性。这与我所认知的完全不同。在我的国家尼日利亚，美容师主要是女性。接待大量男性美容师的美发厅被称为理发师，他们主要迎合男性顾客。我国的美发厅被称为女性圣地，而理发店是男性圣地。我对中国在性别角色上的差异感到惊喜，甚至更好奇地发现，与我国相比，中国美容行业还有哪些其他差异。当我接受一位中国男性美发专家的照料时，我很快发现了第二个主要区别。他立刻对我头发的质地感到惊讶，因为这是他第一次遇到。我们俩立刻意识到，他们无法满足我的护发需求，因为中国美容师的培训只是为了服务亚洲客户。从那次经历中，我开始寻找适合不同客户的美发厅。事实证明，北京和整个中国对这一需求的供应是有限的，但正在出现。我的搜索将我带到了中国的广东省，该省以拥有最多的非洲大陆人口而闻名。这是我第二个最难忘的时刻。在这个以国际贸易和商业闻名的省份，看到繁荣的非洲社区真是太棒了。广东省不仅为我的头发和皮肤问题提供了解决方案，还帮助我在北京启动了新企业，重点是扩大我的可持续美容企业。我亲眼看到了非中贸易关系的基层及其对广东当地社区的影响。因此，我想把这种影响扩大到北京的市场。

My Beijing Salon, Mirapages 我的北京理发店

With the inspiration and vigor of Guangdong province, I returned to Beijing. I decided first to join the select few international salons in Beijing, to meet the growing demands in Beijing and also to gain a deeper insight into the current needs of the people of Beijing with regard to hair and skin care, specifically for people from Africa and of African descent. After grasping a solid foundation and understanding of the Beijing market, I ventured into expanding my personal business using my expertise cultivated back in my country to establish my own international salon. Due to the great relations between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the People's Republic of China, I could establish my business effectively. I wanted to use my salon as a place of exchange where all peoples, regardless of their nationality and background, are able to come together and learn from each other's cultures. In Nigeria, your hair tells a story about you, including but not limited to one's social awareness. It is an extension of you and your family. I soon realized that China has these similar cultural norms, especially among the Chinese ethnic minority group. The village of Huang Luo in China's Guangxi Region is a perfect example; they are famous for the dramatically long hair worn by its female residents. This is very unique to that province.

Huang Luo village female residents, China's Guangxi Region /黄螺村女性居民中国广西地区

带着在广东省的灵感和活力，我回到了北京。我决定首先加入北京为数不多的国际美发厅，以满足北京日益增长的需求，并深入了解北京人民目前在头发和皮肤护理方面的需求，特别是针对非洲和非洲裔人士的需求。在掌握了坚实的基础和对北京市场的了解后，我利用在国内培养的专业知识，大胆拓展了个人业务，建立了自己的国际美发厅。由于尼日利亚联邦共和国和中华人民共和国之间的良好关系，我能够有效地开展业务。我想把我的美发厅作为一个交流的地方，让所有的人，无论他们的国籍和背景如何，都能聚在一起，学习彼此的文化。在尼日利亚，你的头发讲述了一个关于你的故事，包括但不限于一个人的社会意识。它是你和你的家庭的延伸，我很快意识到中国有这些相似的文化规范，尤其是在中国少数民族中。中国广西地区的黄螺村就是一个很好的例子，那里的女性居民留着长得惊人的头发。这是该省独有的。

I am intrigued by ways to implement sustainable African and Asian hair and skin care methods to better impact my community. Thus far, I have been fortunate to work closely with Chinese manufacturers in Guangzhou to create better products to test new ideas. In addition, I look forward to hosting sessions with local Chinese and international beauty experts on ways to take care of different skin and hair types. We all have a great role to play when attempting to achieve the goal of a "green society." I  believe through the mutual sharing of different cultural practices, we will be able to create a society where we all responsibly use our resources.

我对如何实施可持续的非洲和亚洲头发和皮肤护理方法以更好地影响我的社区感到好奇。到目前为止，我有幸与广州的中国制造商密切合作，创造出更好的产品来测试新的想法。除此之外，我期待着与中国本土和国际美容专家一起举办护理不同皮肤和头发类型的课程。在努力实现“绿色社会”的目标中，我们所有人都可以发挥重要作用。我相信，通过不同文化习俗的相互分享，我们将能够创造一个我们都能负责任地使用资源的社会。

China-Africa Beauty/中非的美丽