The World’s Most Amazing Pedicure全世界最棒的足部护理

As I sit down for a Shanghai-style pedicure at the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong， I quickly realize it’s not going to be the usual buff and polish. Pedicurist Benjamin Cheung whips out a black satchel， full of blades in various shapes and sizes. And he plans to use them on my feet. Cheung， who emigrated from Shanghai with his family in the 1990s， explains the centuries-old process： He’ll use his scalpels to shave off dead skin， clean up my cuticles and whittle down any calluses.

我来到香港文华东方酒店，坐下来准备接受一次沪式足部护理，很快意识到这次不会是像往常那样的清洁养护。足部护理师本杰明·张突然拿出一个黑色皮包，里面装着形状各样、大小不一的刀具，而这些他都将用在我脚上。20世纪90年代，张与家人从上海移居香港。他向我说明这项传承数百年的技艺：他会用他的各式刮刀刮去我脚上的死皮，清除角质，修掉老茧。

“In the old days， only wealthy people or businessmen got to enjoy Shanghai-style pedicures. Most of the people could not afford these luxurious treatments，” Cheung tells CNN Travel. “When Shanghai-style businessmen moved to Hong Kong in the 1900s， there was a demand for this service and that’s how Shanghai-style pedicures were brought to this city. Now they are very common there and can be found in many public bathing facilities， spas and barbershops.

“过去只有富人或商人才能享受沪式足部护理，大多数人享受不起这项奢侈服务。”张接受美国有线电视新闻网旅游频道采访时说，“1900年代，有上海商人迁居香港，他们需要沪式足部护理，这项服务也由此引入香港。如今，沪式足部护理在香港已经非常普遍，很多公共洗浴场所、水疗中心和理发店都有。”

A smooth shave

体验修脚服务

To begin the 50-minute treatment， Cheung runs a warm foot bath to soften the dry skin. He then intently examines my feet， feeling each patch with his finger to gauge the roughness， before pulling out the appropriate tool.

在开始时长50分钟的护理前，张先用热水给我泡了泡脚，软化干燥的皮肤，接着他非常仔细地对我的脚进行检查，用手指触摸每一个地方，确定粗糙程度，然后拿出合适的工具。

Cheung smooths the balls of my feet， chisels through some calluses and delicately tidies my toenails. I hardly felt anything while he was working， perhaps a tickle in places but certainly no pain. By the end， he’s used at least six blades and has carved what feels like two pounds off my heels.

张把我脚上疙疙瘩瘩的地方磨平，挫掉一些茧子，细致地修剪了趾甲。在他操作的整个过程中，我几乎感觉不到什么，可能时而有一点痒，但完全不痛。到最后结束时，他至少用上了六把刀，仿佛从我脚上削掉了两磅重的东西。

Walking out of the salon， my soles are slippery smooth―it’s almost like gliding on two sticks of butter.

走出沙龙的时候，我脚底滑溜溜的，好像是踩在两条黄油上滑行一样。

The sifu from Shanghai

来自上海的足部护理师

But why a Shanghai-style pedicure in Hong Kong？

但香港怎么会有沪式足部护理呢？

“It’s worth keeping in mind that Shanghai and Hong Kong have had historic connections for almost two centuries，” John Carroll， a professor of history at the University of Hong Kong and the author of A Concise History of Hong Kong， tells CNN Travel. “Thousands of people from Shanghai emigrated to Hong Kong over the years.” Nicknamed “Emigrant Entrepreneurs，” these prople brought businesses， expertise and sartorial style that still permeates Hong Kong culture today―evidenced by the remaining Shanghai tailors， restaurants， barbers and， yes， pedicurists peppered about the city.

“应该要记住的是，近两个世纪以来，上海和香港在历史上有着非常重要的联系。”高马可是香港大学的一位历史学教授，也是《香港简史》的作者，他接受美国有线电视新闻网旅游频道采访时说，“那些年，有成千上万的上海人移居香港。”这些上海人被叫做“移民企业家”，他们办企业，还带来了专业技术和着装风尚，这些如今仍影响着香港文化——在香港，随处可见沪式裁缝、餐厅、理发师，当然了，还有沪式足部护理师。

“When I was 11， my family moved to Hong Kong to explore opportunities， like many other families from the mainland， in the ‘80s and ‘90s，” Cheung says. “At the time， Hong Kong was well developed and there was a high demand for labor in different industries.”

张说起以前的事：“20世纪八九十年代，和中国内地很多家庭一样，我们家也来到香港寻求发展机会，那时我11岁。当时的香港繁荣发达，各个领域的劳动力需求都很大。”

As Cheung adjusted to the culture， he realized the value of having a niche professional skill that others couldn’t easily emulate. “Shanghai-style pedicures require special and traditional skills， which are passed down from generation to generation，” says Cheung. “I was inspired by my uncle， who was a pedicurist from Shanghai， and decided to follow his path.” At 18 years old， Cheung moved back to Shanghai where he studied the techniques for two years.

张慢慢适应着香港文化环境，他意识到，必须要掌握一技之长，而且这项技能得是别人轻易效仿不了的。“沪式足部护理所需的专业技能和传统技艺，是一代又一代传下来的。”张说道，“我叔叔是位足部护理师，受到他的激励，我也决定干这行。”于是18岁时张回到上海，在那儿学了两年的技术。

The young man returned to Hong Kong as a budding Shanghai sifu （master） and took up the practice first at a private resort. Cheung later joined the Mandarin Oriental in 2007， where he has worked for the past decade.

年轻的张学成后又返回香港，成为一位新晋的沪式足部护理师。起初他在一个私人度假村做足部护理师，后来在2007年进了文华东方酒店，过去10年一直在那儿上班。

An urban trend

城市掀新潮

The Shanghai-style pedicure was named after the Chinese city， but that’s most likely not where it originated.

虽然沪式足部护理是以中国上海（简称“沪”）命名，但它很可能并不起源于这座城市。

Samuel So， another sifu who works at the Mandarin Oriental and apprenticed under Shanghai masters， says that the pedicure was first practiced in rural areas and smaller cities， later making its way to Shanghai as the country urbanized. “It was named the ‘Shanghai-style’ pedicure because Shanghai was the place where everyone first learned about the treatment，” So tells CNN Travel. “In the old days， many people wanted to move to Shanghai for a better job and a better life. Some people brought the pedicure skills with them to Shanghai. Like Hong Kong a few decades ago， Shanghai was a place with opportunities. The economy there was blooming， which led to high demands in grooming.”

塞缪尔·苏是文华东方酒店的另一位足部护理师，曾经也在上海师傅手下学徒。他说，起初是在一些乡村地区和小城市开始有足部护理，后来随着中国的城市化发展，足部护理才在上海兴盛起来。“叫‘沪式’足部护理，是因为上海是人们最早知道这项服务的地方。”苏接受美国有线电视新闻网旅游频道采访时说，“那时候有很多人想去上海谋求更好的工作、过上更好的生活，一些掌握足部护理技术的人也去了。像几十年前的香港一样，当时的上海也是个充满机遇的地方，经济欣欣向荣，清洁洗护市场需求旺盛。”