And memories back to life
s. me case was when ree days and nights sition of eyes,” he
that a 30-year-old differences in the ose from when he
They would say ting the thickness s or move it up by
ge in age from 7 mid-40s, many of raduates. But they ys they’ve had since ld them in deep afys a high status in me — sometimes not even allowed to
other and daughter and thread to pern on her daughter’s said: ‘Master Zhu, t here, if I did this e cursed and hit by says. rom Chengdu told
experienced the arthquake in Sichher. have thought serthquakes were to could only take one , I would take my anything else.’” metimes feels under
be the slightest slip, he owners) would What if I blow it? No be successful!” s almost 99 percent fied with his work, while the other 1 percent eventually recognize his efforts.
A man once sent his toy to him for cleaning. It hadn’t been cleaned for two years and there were two black stains on its mouth. Zhu successfully cleaned it.
But when the man arrived to fetch the toy, he didn’t say anything, and Zhu noticed he kept pressing on the mouth.
Three days later, the man published an article online, accusing Zhu of not being able to fix toys and damaging it. He claimed it had been smiling, but after the repair, the mouth looked like it was neither smiling or crying.
“I broke down when I saw these words, because I thought I had managed to clean the stain as per his request. Why then did he scold me?” Zhu says.
“I couldn’t sleep for days and later I told him after the stain was cleaned that the cloth definitely kind of popped up ... it was just a natural physical phenomenon.
“After two months, he came to me to apologize, saying my repair was the best. He pressed that position of the mouth for two months, and the mouth returned to the way it was before cleaning.”
Keeping customers satisfied is no easy job, it takes a lot of time and effort, good craftsmanship, scrupulousness, ability to work under pressure and also, communication skills and patience.
Zhu tells another story about a woman who wanted eyes, which had been lost years before, for a toy mouse.
He went to Shanghai Library to research the design trends of the 1970s and adjusted the eyes until she said they were OK. But when she got the toy, she still felt uncomfortable about the “new” eyes. However, six months later she told Zhu that the condition of the toy was perfect — the eyes had begun to sparkle.
Though Zhu sometimes is pained when misunderstood, he feels his work pays off every time owners are happy and express their gratitude.
He also feels that during the lengthy repair process, when he listens to owners’ stories, discusses with them their requirements, checks every detail of the repair, and answers their questions when the toys are returned, he is giving them psychological counseling and comfort.
“Many owners say my repaired toys restore their memories of childhood,” he says. “In this sense, I am not only a surgeon but also a psychiatrist.”
Zhu says his saddest story was when a young man came with toy dog and asked Zhu to remove a black stain. Zhu asked him how the stain had occurred.
The youth said the toy had been left by his father to his elder brother. His father had died, and later his brother also died in a car accident when the toy was with him. The stain was his brother’s blood.
The young man had kept the toy dog with him even when he was studying at a university in Macau. He had gone to other places to get the stain removed without success. He hoped Zhu could help him and also fix the worn parts.
Zhu says he was shocked when the youth asked for a thorough cleaning and to make the toy as if it was new.
“I confirmed with him again and again to make sure he did want to take out the stain because many clients don’t want to remove old traces even if they are stains,” he says. “Some would say keep the stains and smell of this part, but clean other parts of the toy.”
The young man told him later that with the restored dog, he felt like his brother was by his side.
Zhu says that previously he could fix one or two toys a month. Now with more and more customers coming to him, he finds there is not enough time and energy to finish all the work though he works from 8am to midnight.
He tells new clients that they have to wait for at least three months. But if his health allows, Zhu says he will continue.