Taxi driver suspended for wearing facial mask

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A beauty-conscious taxi driver was suspended from work after photos of him wearing a facial mask while driving made waves on Chinese social media.

Last Friday, 25-year-old Chen Yiqun from Taizhou City in from east China's Zhejiang Province was on a quiet night shift, so he decided to freshen up before picking up the next passenger. Keen on using beauty products, the young taxi driver took out a remedial facial mask from his bag and started pampering himself, local paper Qianjiang Evening News reports.

A passenger from a passing-by car caught Chen wearing a facial mask while driving a cab. /Qianjiang Evening News Photo

With the mask on his face, Chen headed to a gas station to refuel.

"My window was open. That was when I heard people laughing at me," Chen told Qianjiang Evening News. "I turned and saw a girl shooting me with her smart phone from a car next to mine, and I knew I was doomed."

Chen immediately closed the car window, but it was too late. Within an hour, the taxi driver found his photos going viral on all major Chinese social media platforms. On China's Twitter-like platform Weibo, "exquisite cab driver" became the latest trend and was read over 56 million times.

"As a female, I felt ashamed," Weibo user @Xiaoyouoyouyou commented.

"What's the brand of the facial mask you were using? The result seems divine," @shizunzuna commented.

While netizens respected Chen's efforts in maintaining his personal image, Taizhou's traffic police was not impressed. On Monday, Chen was called in to receive a stern lecture on traffic safety and was suspended from work for three days.

Local traffic police lectured Chen on road safety rules after photos of him wearing a facial mask had gone viral online. /Qianjiang Evening News Photo

"The mask could fall off and block the driver's vision, thus causing serious traffic problems," a traffic police officer told Chen. "The driver should prioritize safety before anything."

Chen has been working as a taxi driver for less than a month, but the young man had been an expert in skincare regimen for years.

A selfie taken by Chen showing his glowing skin. /Qianjiang Evening News Photo

"I started caring for my skin when I turned 20, applying facial masks every two to three days," Chen said. "I am the one who purchase skincare products for the family. Even my wife is not as picky as me."

The cab driver said he was usually frugal but would save up to buy high-end skincare products because he believed that youth and beauty are priceless. Chen recalled spending over 20,000 yuan (2,900 US dollars) on facial masks and other skincare products in a recent shopping spree in Hong Kong.

As opinions toward masculinity keep shifting in China, more men like Chen have become more conscious about maintaining their self-image and showing an increasing willingness to spend on male cosmetics. By 2022, the male beauty industry is expected to be worth up to three billion US dollars, South China Morning Post reports citing Tmall Innovation Centre and L'Oréal China Consumer Intelligence.

(Top image via VCG photo.)