BARE SWAY · OUR STORY
From Sichuan
to the everyday.
Our story begins in Sichuan, with two different ways of bathing and cleansing.
We came to know the people behind them and began by listening to their stories.
02 · TWO TRADITIONS
Herbal bathing and herbal soap.
We found two separate stories in Sichuan: herbal bathing in Xinfan and soap-making in Shuanglong Village. We keep their people and methods distinct.
Xinfan traditional herbal bathing
We learned how He Wei and Liu Xu prepare and introduce herbal bathing in Xinfan, Chengdu.
Hongru herbal soap
We learned how Liu Yong talks with visiting students about herbal soap in Shuanglong Village, Xindu.
We do not treat them as one lineage or one formula.
03 · THE PEOPLE WHO KEEP THEM ALIVE
The people behind the stories.
We learned about the people behind each story: He Wei, Liu Xu and Liu Yong.
XINFAN · HE WEI & LIU XU
Before the bath begins
We learned that He Wei remembers his grandfather stirring herbal bath water at the stove. His wife, Liu Xu, later learned to prepare the materials and began introducing the bathing practice to more people.
We also learned about a dizi, a small scale once used to weigh herbs.
A scale that was kept
He Wei's father gave the dizi to Liu Xu. They still keep it, although they do not ordinarily use it today.
Still being shared
We learned how they still introduce herbal bathing. At a Dragon Boat Festival event at Du Fu Thatched Cottage, Liu Xu guided visitors through lantang hand-cleansing. At a Double Ninth Festival event, He Wei guided a foot-bathing experience.
HONGRU · LIU YONG
Understanding a bar of soap
We learned that Liu Yong has spoken with visiting university students about herbal soap in Shuanglong Village, Xindu, Chengdu. Students also visited the study base to learn about soap-making.
We are working with Liu Yong of Hongru to develop modern cleansing soap. Our collaboration concerns soap, not our haircare formulas.
04 · WHAT BARE SWAY TAKES FORWARD
What we ask of a cleanser.
We ask how cleansing feels, how scent and water affect use, and what makes a product practical to rinse. These questions guide our own product decisions.
We do not copy traditional formulas. A cultural story cannot prove a product works.
05 · TRADITION, REWORKED FOR TODAY
The story gives context.
The product still has to work.
We develop modern products separately. Each needs its own formulation, testing and packaging decisions; what we can claim about the finished product must come from its own evidence.
- 01
Listen
We begin with the people behind each story.
- 02
Learn
We ask how materials are prepared and used.
- 03
Develop
We make our own formulation and design choices.
- 04
Verify
We check the finished product before making claims.
Our haircare work follows a separate Chinese botanical direction and independent modern formulation. Neither story supplies a shampoo formula, endorsement or haircare authorization.
06 · A LIVING STORY
A story we will keep documenting.
We want to document these people, places and objects further, with the right permissions. Until approved real photography is available, the seven images here remain conceptual: they are not real portraits or locations, historical photographs, documentary evidence, or actual product-making scenes.
We return to what first made us curious: water temperature, the scent of plants and the movement of hands.
From a basin of water, BARE SWAY returns to the everyday.