An eastern delight learns ways of west in hope of finding universal appeal

Miss Universe China candidate Luo Zilin has gone to the US to learn how to be 'less Chinese'. (Photo by ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images) Picture: Images Chinafotopress/Getty Source: AP THE woman who has been crowned Miss China is beautiful, elegant and desirous of world peace. But she's also a bit too - Chinese. Only one thing stood in her way as she prepared to challenge for the title of Miss Universe. According to the organiser of her country's pageant, Miss China was a bit too - Chinese. To remedy this, Luo Zilin, 24, beauty queen of her own vast homeland, has gone to New York for a crash course in the ways of the West, including how to behave at parties in the Hamptons, how to be more assertive in one's opinions, and how to dance. In all of these matters she has been guided by Yue-Sai Kan, who is also known as the Orient's equivalent to Oprah Winfrey. As a television presenter, she once commanded the largest audiences on Earth, presenting a series of travelogues that explained the rest of the world to her countrymen. Now she is explaining it to Ms Lou, and instructing her on how to cope. Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.

Related Coverage
y y y y y

Classic Miss Universe fails The Daily Telegraph, 8 days ago Angola wins Miss Universe Herald Sun, 9 days ago Miss Universe Top Ten Herald Sun, 9 days ago Miss Universe 2011 Courier Mail, 9 days ago Aussie in final 10 of Miss Universe The Australian, 9 days ago

End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar. She took her young charge to her Upper West Side apartment four weeks ago and has since put her through lessons in English conversation, French table manners, samba, jazz and tap dancing as well as high-level socialising. "She has met Paul McCartney, Russell Simmons [the hip-hop artist]," she told The Times yesterday. "We were with Claire Danes for a screening of Homeland." No Miss China has won Miss Universe for a decade, but as Ms Kan prepares her charge for next month's contest in Sao Paulo, Brazil, she has sought to work a transformation akin to that attempted by Henry Higgins on the young Eliza Doolittle in George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion. "When I say she's too Chinese, I don't mean to be negative. Too Chinese means they are very reserved," she said. "When you compliment them, they put their hands over their mouth. They are not used to being assertive. Also, we have absolutely no culture of beauty pageants." Ms Lou was already a successful model. "But they are just walking hangers," said Ms Kan, who appears to have been extremely successful in overcoming any shyness she might have suffered. "They don't have to say anything. They don't have to express any emotions whatsoever." Ms Kan held auditions for Miss China where she encountered large numbers of beautiful but extremely reserved women. "This is the culture," she said. She had been a judge on Miss Universe. "Most judges are probably not Asians. Some will be Brazilian. Brazilian culture and Chinese culture are very different. They are taught to be proactive and aggressive. Chinese are not raised like that." After four weeks, her young pupil, who introduces herself as Rosaline, said she had learnt a great deal. "I went to a party in the Hamptons. There were 200 people there: film stars, TV stars, and all different professions." She had learnt how to take compliments. "People say: 'You are really tall'," she said. "So many people say, 'Wow, you're pretty' or, 'You can be a film star'." When they said those things, she did not put her hand in front of her mouth.

HSBC purchasing manager index flags Chinese slowdown

y y y

Aaron Back From: Dow Jones Newswires September 22, 2011 2:41PM

Table fans cool workers in a car-seat factory in China - manufacturing has slowed in the world's No 2 economy. Source: Supplied A PRELIMINARY gauge of China's manufacturing activity fell in September, indicating that growth in the world's second-largest economy continued to slow. The preliminary HSBC China Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index fell to 49.4 in September, from a final reading of 49.9 in August, HSBC said today. The fall in the PMI could reignite some concerns over a sharp economic slowdown in China, due to weakening global demand for Chinese goods and various tightening measures offshore. The Australian dollar, which is sensitive to Chinese demand for Australian commodities, slipped after the data was released, falling below parity to the US greenback for the first time since August 8. HSBC economist Qu Hongbin, however, said the data is consistent with a "soft-landing" scenario. "Fears of a hard landing are unwarranted. External demand weakened a little but official trade data still shows solid export growth," he said in a note. Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.

Related Coverage
y y y y y

$A falls below parity on China The Australian, 3 hours ago China's factories weaken: HSBC The Australian, 3 hours ago Chinese manufacturing picks up The Australian, 1 Sep 2011 Copper rises 1pc on China PMI The Australian, 23 Aug 2011 Markets rally on strength of China The Australian, 23 Aug 2011

End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar. Mr Qu said he expects China's gross domestic product growth to be about 8.5 per cent to 9 per cent in the coming quarters. That would be down from 9.5 per cent growth in the second quarter. The manufacturing output sub-index, meanwhile, fell to 49.2, a two-month low. The preliminary China PMI figure, also called the HSBC Flash China PMI, is based on 85 per cent to 90 per cent of total responses to HSBC's PMI survey each month and is issued about one week before the final PMI reading. September's final reading is due September 30. A reading below 50 indicates contraction from the previous month, while a reading above 50 indicates expansion.
Yue sai kan

New Yorker Yue-Sai Kan is the most famous woman in China famous to a billion people as a television personality, and as the woman who has introduced cosmetics to the Chinese women. Even her haircut is famous: Chinese women will go to the hairdresser and ask for a Yue-Sai. She is the modern Asian woman. She is the modern American woman. She is the modern businesswoman. Over the past twenty-five years, Yue-Sai has been a force for change of a lot of things for the Chinese people. An American citizen who came here as a very young woman in the early 70s from Hong Kong via Hawaii, she has opened up the world to the mainland Chinese, including opening up New York and America to Asia. Born in Shanghai, daughter of the famous Chinese painter Wing-Lin Kan, she was brought up in Hong Kong. As a young woman, an aspiring concert pianist, she migrated to Hawaii and eventually came to New York on a vacation to visit a schoolmate. Her first weekend she went to a concert of the Boston Symphony, conducted by Leonard Bernstein at Lincoln Center. Afterwards she was taken to the Green Room to meet the great conductor. Amazed and excited, she decided then and there that New York was where she wanted to be. She got a job as an assistant to a casting agent in an advertising agency. From there she went to work for a public relations man whose clientele included movie stars such as Bette Davis and Cary Grant. From there she got into cable television, which was still very new to the viewing public. The show was called Looking East. She was amazed at the response. The show ran for twelve years the last two on the Discovery Channel. In 1984, PBS invited her to host a live broadcast from China of the 35th Anniversary of the Peoples Republic of China. It was so successful that the Chinese Government asked her if shed do a television show in China. Which she did. "One World." That show made her the household name in China and single-handedly introduced the American (Western) culture to the Chinese people as well as opening up to the whole world to the complexity and variations of the Asian culture. In the early 1990s, Yue-Sai was invited by the Chinese to become involved in business in China. The business she chose was cosmetics. China up to that point in its modern development was, in her words the world of no color. The drabness had to go, thought Yue-Sai; Chinese women should look good, feel good about themselves. Before that, Chinese women did not wear makeup. Yue-Sai has changed all that. Today they do. The cosmetics line was introduced in 1996 in three department stores. Today, it is in more than 900 stores all over China and there are two different price lines the luxury and the everyday. She thinks of herself as more of a media person than a businesswoman, since that was how she made her reputation (and her living). However, her business life continues to expand. Shes written three best-selling books including Etiquette for the Modern Chinese. This is not, she pointed out, just a book about the right fork to use, but instead, to introduce to the reader the social habits, customs, manners of dress, and business, etc. of the Western and American culture. A few years ago, the young daughter of a friend asked Yue-Sai to bring her back a doll from China. She was surprised to discover that she couldnt find a China doll. There were none. All she found were the blonde, blue-eyed American dolls. In October 1999 Yue-Sai introduced the Yue-Sai Wa Wa (little doll). Her retail partners are worldwide: QVC, FAO Schwarz, Toys R Us, kb Toys, and Harrods of London. Her first hour on QVC, they sold out. Yue-Sai Kan has led a charmed life since the beginning of her New York experience. From her first day here, she has found this great city of the world exciting, acknowledging that all the great things in her life have come as a result of her coming to New York. Today she lives in a beautiful townhouse near the East River where she often entertains. Shes a frequent presence at charity galas and at the smart restaurants. She has a very friendly, outgoing personality with an easy smile and is always ready to

Yue-Sai Wa Wa (little doll laugh.

Nhan s c Vi t: Th t b i v qu... "thu n Vi t"?

(2Sao) - Tr c y, t ng c lo t bi vi t c p n v n t i sao cc ng i p Vi t khi tham gia cc cu c thi Qu c T ch a c thnh cng, trong khi , nh ng cu c thi trong n c th lc no c ng dnh tai ti ng, ch t l ng qu th p? >> Ng c Hn - Hoa h u tr n scandal >> Ng c Th ch khng c c p php thi Miss Earth >> V n ha c a ngh s : Khng th ch s t gic N i c m ln c th k n nh ng l do nh : Nh ng quan ni m sai l m, c h v nhan s c c a ng i Vi t;Th gi i ang c n nh ng hoa h u nh th no?;T i sao nhan s c Vi t v n ch a t a sng?... Trong bi vi t ny, chng ta s th y c r ng t ng lai c a cc ng i p Vi t Nam s cn l m trun chuyn n u nh v n cn qu cao tnh... thu n Vi t. "Ngn n m h ng...la!"

Theo nh l i m t nhn v t t nh n mnh l "th y ph th y c a cc ng i p" nh vo vi c trang i m v thi t k o di cho cc th sinh tham gia nhi u cu c thi s c p khc nhau VN, v sau nhi u n m kinh nghi m nh ng cu c thi trong n c th ng i ny c k t c v truy n t l i cho nh ng ng i p r ng: "Ban gim kh o h thch s n nh th ! Mu n o t h ng cao th ph i lm nh v y!". Ph i lun lun th hi n i u b "li u y u o t " v i dng i khoan thai, c ch d u dng, c i chm chm, hai tay lc no c ng b t cho v ph i p m t lng bn tay xu ng cho thin h bi t r ng l gi ch a ch ng, n ni th tr c d sau th a... Ph i cho ban gim kh o v khn gi th y c b n thn l m t c gi c y cng-dung-ngn-h nh, n t na, thy m , oan trang. V sau g n 1/4 th k t ch c cc cu c thi s c p n c ta th v n l phong cch "ngn n m h ng la" t th i cc vua phong ki n v i cc "siu m u" tn tu i nh Thc Th La, S n Th Sen, M Th N p, Hoa Th Li u...

Ki u

tay c a thi u n t th i phong

V k t cu c thi hoa h u u tin c a n c VN th ng nh t cho n nay th cc cu c thi nhan s c n c ta v n trung thnh v i nh ng ki u tc b i. Cc nh t o m u tc n i ti ng trong n c m c k ng i p c khun m t vung, trn nh th no, mi n l th sinh thi hoa h u th u b u ra m... b i tc, x t keo. Trong khi xem qua nh ng cu c thi Qu c T th ki u tc b i t ng l m t c a th p nin 1950, u 1960, c tr l i vo kho ng gi a 1990 nh ng lu r i khng cn ph bi n trong cc cu c thi nhan s c n a. ng l ra l a ch n ph h p v i c u t o khun m t, che b t khuy t i m v th hi n cv p c ng nh tnh cch l i u c n b n nh t m b t c nh t o m u tc no c ng ph i bi t. Th m ch, cn c vi c nhi u c khng ch u b i tc th b h m d a khng cho ra trnh di n (!?!). M c k tro l u th gi i c thay i th

Chng ta hy cng nhn xem hnh nh c a Tr n Th H ng Giang c "mng m" b i nh ng chuyn gia hng u VN khi tham gia HHVN 2006, tr c khi ln ng sang Nam Phi tham d HHTG 2009 v cch trang i m, lm tc do chnh tay c th c hi n qua l i t v n c a m t "ng i quen" ch a h qua m t tr ng l p o t o nh ng c h u h t cc chuyn trang s c p hng u Th Gi i m i c ng tc t n m 2005 n nay, v ng hnh cng thnh vin c a nh ng t ch c hoa h u n c ngoi tham d cc cu c thi hoa h u Grand Slam khc nhau. V m t v d khc nh ng ng c l i khi b Vi t ha l V Hong Y n tr c khi tham d HHHV 2009 Bahamas, c t b phong cch ng i m u chuyn nghi p v n lm nn tn tu i v t o n t ng m nh v i cc chuyn gia n c ngoi, v chi u lng ng i hm m n c nh v i mi tc nhu m en, n c i g ng g o, c v k ch c m v h n ch dng i c a siu m u. B i v nh ng ng i c t duy l c h u cho r ng: hoa h u l ph i nhn hi n hi n, thnh thi n, c i duyn dng, dng i u d u dng, th hi n ng b n ch t hoa h u ng ch khng ph i ci ki u l nh lng, hung t n, phong cch qu g i c m c a ng i m u ph ng Ty.

S khc bi t v phong cch c a VN v theo tro l u Ti p n l v phong cch th i trang. i v i nhi u th sinh VN tham d nh ng cuc thi s c p Qu c T th vi c lun m c trn ng i chi c o di truy n th ng m t cch v t i v trong b t k s ki n, ho t ng khc nhau l i u khng th ch p nh n c, th m ch l m c o di tham d ti c cocktail, ti c khiu v , i tham quan, trnh di n th i trang, cho n ph n thi d h i. Ngay c chi c o d h i th vi nh thi t k c ng c g ng "nh i nht" ci h n Vi t v i vi c cch

i u t o di, o t thn v i hnh nh hoa sen, mai, lan cc, trc, hoa he hoa si... Ngay c nh ng n c ng B c c t l dn s ng nh t v m t ch ng t c g n nh l tuy t i, v n ha b n a thu n khi t, v c truy n th ng Nho Gio cn m nh m h n VN nhi u l n nh Nh t B n (98.5% ng i Nh t), Hn Qu c (98% ng i Tri u Tin), Trung Qu c (91.5% ng i Hn) c ng khng nh VN (85.8% ng i Kinh) khi di n b qu c ph c m t cch ty ti n nhi u khi n l b ch, trong phi ph n trang ph c truy n th ng ch xem nh mn trnh di n khng tnh i m ho c b h n nh t i cu c thi HHHV Nh t B n. o di - m i lc m i n i, trong nh, ngoi ph , hay

Nh ng b trang ph c do "th y ph th y c a cc l ch m i c p n nh ng cu c thi ng c p nh t VN hi n nay nh Hoa h u Vi t Nam hay Hoa h u th gi i ng i Vi t m nh th , hy t ng t ng nh ng cu c thi c nh HH Qu B VN hay HH Cc Dn T c VN, hoa khi c p t nh, vng, mi n... th n cn c y ln cao tro g p nhi u l n n m c l "la tr ng ng, vng r c c m t gc tr i". Cng kh n kh h n khi ch nh ng ng i p c gi i chnh th c nh ng cu c thi c g n mc c p qu c gia ny m i c c p php i thi Qu c T . Th h i n bao gi nhan s c VN m i kh khi ngay t khu tuy n l a c v n . o t o, qu n l ng i p ki u Ty v ki u Ta

Tr c y c nhi u bi bo ln ti ng v s mu thu n su s c, tri ng c hon ton v quan i m s c p trong m t i a s ng i Vi t cn mang n ng t t ng truy n th ng v i gi tr s c p c a nh ng cu c thi s c p hng u Th Gi i, c bi t l trong m t ng i u M . ch m i l v ph n ngo i hnh v g ng m t. By gi , chng ta s c d p tm hi u su h n t i sao nh ng c gi c tnh cch v cch c x thu n Vi t s kh c th thnh cng t i nh ng cu c thi s c p Th Gi i. "Hy sinh i b , c ng c i con" - C l l ph ng chm nui d y con c a i a s cc b c lm cha m VN. H s n sng lm t t c m i th , cho d c "lm tru lm ng a" c ng mu n con mnh c th h ng nh ng g t t nh t, cho d con mnh c lm i u sai qu y c ng bnh v c l ng, mu n g l c n y. V nhi u "ng b u hoa h u" n i ti ng VN c ng th l r ng h ch m lo cho th sinh c a mnh, ph c v cc c ch ng khc no l sin, y t , khng n n cho " a con tinh th n" c a mnh ph i ng tay ng chn. Th m ch n m c m ng i p ch c n m mi ng ra th c ng i c cho n, i u th c 2-3 ng i ch y theo sau xch gi , xch dp, c ng i lm thay h t bi v , tr l i ph ng v n bo ch... "Khi no b ki m tra phng, ti chui xu ng g m gi ng hay v t tr n em khng b tr i m. Mnh ph i chung m i ch m sc cc em c chu o" (trch t bi: N i kh c a ng b u ng sau ng i p). Hu nh Bch Ph ng c "th y

Cn tr em u M c gio d c v l i s ng t l p t r t nh , h c cch sinh ho t c n n p, t lm nh ng vi c c nhn, t ch u trch nhi m tr c nh ng hnh ng c a mnh. D dng th y c i u qua hnh nh cc em b t ng ch xe but c a tr ng a n i h c, t lm nh ng cng vi c nh theo s phn cng c a gia nh, 14-15 tu i l ph i i lm bn th i gian ki m ti n cho vi c h c i h c sau ny, vi c chi tiu mua s m trong ngn sch cho php, l ch sinh ho t v lm vi c c s p x p th t ... Nh m t hoa h u Venezuela, d c trn 20 ng i i theo c ng (Dayana Mendoza - HHHV 2008) hay ph i m t thn m t mnh (Mariangela Bonanni - HHT 2010) th trong c 2 tr ng h p u xem nh nhau, v chnh b n thn cc c c ng t bi t ph i t lm g, d trong b t k hon c nh nh th no c ng xoay x cv i nh ng k ho ch d phng. B i v gi i tr ph ng Ty c o t o v k n ng s ng t r t b v thnh th c tr c khi n v i tr ng o t o hoa h u, nn h ch vi c ch tm vo h c nh ng k n ng tr thnh m t hoa h u th c th n a m thi. N u nh VN th chng ta nhi u l n ln ti ng v nn gio d c c a n c nh nh vi c d y h c theo ki u p t, c chp, h c thu c lng m ch ng c n hi u n l g, gio vin c ng sai th c ng khng c "ph n pho", im l ng l ng nghe, bi t vng l i khng c ci, m i suy ngh v pht bi u ngoi khun php b xem l v l v i ng c l i truy n th ng tn s tr ng o. Cn v i n n gio d c u M th gio vin l ng i kh i ngu n c m h ng, sng t o cho h c sinh cc em t do pht tri n s ham thch h c h i, tm ti v pht huy nh ng hi u bi t, ki n th c, dm ng ln ni ra nh ng quan i m c nhn, th hi n ci ti c a b n thn v lun c nh ng pht ki n m i l . V v y ng ng c nhin khi nh ng c hoa h u c a u M tu i m i ngoi i m i nh ng qua l i n ti ng ni, cch hnh x th ch ng khc no ph n ngoi 30, t ng tr i v r t tr ng thnh. Trong khi c ng ng n tu i y m m y c hoa h u VN c nh con nt 13 tu i, thi u k n ng s ng t l p, y u v ki n th c l n k n ng giao ti p. V n u nhn l i l ch s 60 n m c a HHHV th c 6 ng i ph n ng da vng ng quang ngi v cao nh t v i m chung c a 5 trong s 6 ng i (Apasra Hongsakula, Gloria Diaz, Margarita Moran, Porntip Nakhirunkanok, Riyo Mori) l c d y d trong mi tr ng gio d c ph ng Ty t nh , t ng c th i gian di s ng n c ngoi, bi t cch th hi n b n thn, khng b khun php c h g b... Trong bi bo c t a "An eastern delight learns ways of west in hope of finding universal appeal" th ch t ch t ch c HHHV Trung Qu c l b Yue-Sai Kan, c xem nh Oprah Winfrey c a chu g i nh ng ng vin c a mnh sang New York h c m i th c n thi t b t i tnh cch Trung Hoa v lm cho "Ty ha", m c d Luo Zilin t ng l ng i m u chuyn nghi p v v n c phong cch s c s o. V thnh ph n BGK c a cu c thi HHHV Trung Qu c c n phn n a l ng i u M , cn l i l u l Hoa Ki u. Ring b n thn b Yue-Sai Kan t ng lm gim kh o c a cu c thi HHHV 1987 v 2002, v c u ch t ch HHHV Nh t B n - Ines Ligron c ng t ng ln ti ng cho r ng nh ng ng i ph n ng truy n th ng s kh m bi t cch t lm n i b t b n thn, hu ng h chi l ginh h ng cao. VN tham d cc cu c thi s c p Qu c T sau cc qu c gia khc g n n a th k th nh ng m c ta ch a th ha nh p c, khng nh ng khng theo k p xu h ng c a Th Gi i m chng ta cn

ang t lm cho nh ng ng i p i di n n c nh tr nn t t h u, "nng nghi p ho". V n u nh ci quan i m l hoa h u VN khi thi Qu c T l ph i gi i thi u v n ha, b n s c dn t c VN, cao nh ng gi tr truy n th ng th ng nn ku ca v thnh tch km c i v n u xc nh l mu n c thnh tch cao cc gi i Qu c T th chng ta ph i ch p nh n i v i B t m c o c sa, i v i ma m c o gi y. Donald Nguy n