Foreign models lose their advantage in China

Speakers: Nillah Nyakoa and Lu Sirui

Foreign models on the runway [Photo: Bing.com]

In the eight years, Alexandr Pozhar has spent in China as a professional model. He has witnessed major changes in the domestic industry.

When he first arrived in Shanghai, 8 to 10 foreign models usually attended each casting session, but now there are scores of them, according to the 30-year-old Ukrainian-Russian model with dual nationality.

They are losing opportunities as a result of many clients' growing preferences for local faces, a result of a growing appreciation of fashion among Chinese customers and the rising international status of domestic models, allied to their distinctive looks which can draw target audiences.

"Foreign models no longer enjoy an absolute advantage over their Chinese counterparts. The line between foreign and domestic models is not so obvious anymore," said Zheng Yi, president of Esee Model Management in Shanghai, one of the largest modeling agencies in China.

The audio clip is from Studio+, produced by CRI.