Guangzhou hit national head-lines in 2006 when female students were told to keep their hair short - level with their earlobes at the longest. This stirred heated discussions about whether schools had the right to dictate such things.
2006年，因为市内多所高中硬性要求校内女同学必须剪成齐耳短发，广州市曾一度引起社会热议，引发了人们对学校该不该对这类事情进行硬性规定的思考。
But local media have report-ed that the once-strict requirement is being relaxed at many schools.
据当地媒体报道，曾经严格执行的规定现如今在许多学校都已经有所放宽。
The Affiliated High School of South China Normal University, a top high school in Guangzhou, revised the rule this semester.
广州市名校华南师范大学附属中学在本学期就重新制定了相关规定。
Xiao Chaoyun, deputy headmaster, said the school management now just requires students to be neatly dressed and tie up their hair if they want to wear it long.
副校长肖朝云表示，学校管理层现如今要求学生们做到着装整齐即可，女同学可自愿留长发，但前提是需要将头发扎起来。
"Now every floor of the girl students' dormitories has been equipped with a hair dryer," she added.
与此同时，肖校长还补充道：“现在学校女生宿舍楼每一层都为女同学专门配备了吹风机。”

Zhang Yiri, an associate professor at Guangzhou City Polytechnic, said the rules that require all the students to have the same, short hairstyle are outdated.
广州城市职业学院副教授张翼日表示，曾经要求所有学生都发型一致的规定早已经不符合时代要求。
"Students are not servicemen, and they have the right to develop their personality and like to look smart while studying hard," Zhang said.
张副教授说道：“学生不是军人，他们有权利自由发展自己的个性，在要求他们专心学习的同时，精神面貌也不能落后。”
In recent years, more schools have quietly relaxed their rules on girls' hair, only requiring female students to have a short haircut at the beginning of the semester, rather than year-round.
最近几年，越来越多的学校开始放宽对女生头发的限制和规定，一般只要求女同学在新学期开始剪成短发，之后并不做硬性要求。
Xiao explained that the previous strict requirement was made in consideration for students' health and safety.
肖校长表示，之前学校做严格规定完全是为了孩子的健康和安全考虑。
"Girl students with long hair could have an accident during laboratory work in their chemistry lessons. They might also easily catch a cold after swimming, as their long hair cannot be dried in a very short time," Xiao said.
“女生留长发很容易在做化学实验的时候发生事故，而且也很容易在上完游泳课之后感冒，因为头发短时间之内不容易变干。”肖校长说道。
The new tolerance of long hair has been applauded by parents and their children.
但放宽头发长度的新政策却得到了学生和学生家长的欢迎。
Wang Yanyan, mother of a 16-year-old girl, said it was hard work persuading her daughter to have her hair cut before the new school term began.
一位16岁学生的家长王燕燕表示，自己曾经苦口婆心劝自己孩子在开学之前剪成短发，费了不少口舌。
"My daughter used to cry and say she looked ugly after having a short hair cut," Wang said. "Fortunately I no longer have to do that."
“我女儿一提到要剪短发就哭，因为她觉得剪完头发之后自己变得特别丑，”王女士说道，“现在好了，我再也不用劝她了。”