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Showing off manly beauty
By Miao Qing (Shanghai Star)
Updated: 2004-09-04 16:41
"It is like a game," said Le Wei, a local businessman, who has registered for
the upcoming "Mr Shanghai" contest, the first of its kind in the city.
"I take it as a perfect opportunity to meet friends. I believe that they will
all be open-minded, self-confident and have their own distinctive
personalities," he said.
Le was born in Shanghai but grew up in other parts of China. He considered
himself to be part of the group called "New Shanghainese". After graduating from
university in Nanjing, Le worked in Beijing for eight years, got married there
and then went to study in Europe for his EMBA Master's Degree before returning
to Shanghai in 2002.
He said his experience of living in both South and North China and then going
abroad had made him an "atypical Shanghainese".
In the past two months Le Wei and some 200 other men have registered to
compete for the title of "Mr Shanghai". The final is set for October 30 and the
winner will go on to compete for the "Mr China" title with the winners from
other regions.
Registration for the contest has now closed. According to the organizers, it
was open to all men living in Shanghai of Chinese nationality who were aged
between 18 and 40, who had a college education or better and who were at least
172cm tall.
Liu Hongyan from the organizing committee said the contestants were mainly
aged between 20 and 30 with the oldest being 40. Most of the entrants were
white-collar workers.
"I signed up to register on August 25, close to the deadline," Le said. "I
always like to make decisions at the last minute." At the age of 32, Le expects
to find himself in a kaleidoscopic world that will be a lot different from his
life as a businessman and it appears that so do a lot of the other contestants.
Life experience
"I am Chinese," said Geng Changjun. However, his name on the registration
form was a Japanese one - Asanonagahide. Geng had to be entered as a special
participant because he is Chinese-Japanese.
Having lived in Japan for 20 years, Geng now lives in Shanghai. After two
years' study at the Shanghai Theatre Academy, he works as an actor and sometimes
does some Japanese-Chinese translation work.
"One of my friends who took part in last year's 'Miss Shanghai' contest told
me that it was great fun so I decided to apply to enter the 'Mr Shanghai'
contest," Geng said.
However, he admitted that he does not know much about traditional Chinese
culture or that of Shanghai. "There are so many excellent young men in
Shanghai," he said. "Actually, I have not thought I could win any prizes but if
I do, I will be very happy."
Wu Binsheng, 20, was the national under-18 100-metre breaststroke champion
and is now a student at the Shanghai University of Engineering Science. He also
works as a model and has won two prizes in national fashion modelling
competitions.
"I am sure my advantage lies in both my appearance and also my inner
personality and culture. I understand it is a way to reflect and realize my
value," he said. Wu had not told anyone, not even his parents, about entering
the Mr Shanghai contest. He believed he would surprise everyone with an
excellent performance.
Song Xiaobo is a physically handicapped candidate. He is a deaf-mute but that
has not left him with any feelings of inferiority.
"I expect that through the contest I could become known to more people," said
the handsome young man while sending short messages by mobilephone. "I want to
prove to others that I'm not less capable than them."
Currently, Song is receiving training at a local modelling company and he
wants to become a top model in the near future. "I believe I am a confident and
lively person," he said. In his eyes, the man who becomes "Mr Shanghai" should
be someone who has a good combination of both exterior beauty and inner
attractiveness.
Virtue of Shanghai man
Liu said one of the aims of the contest was to break the traditional opinions
held about Shanghai men and to display their new characteristics and spirit.
"Traditional opinion tends to think of Shanghai men as being a little fussy,
penny-wise and who like to do more housework than do men in the north," she
said. "But Shanghai men nowadays have many more virtues unnoticed by people from
outside. Actually, the old and stiff image of Shanghai men would not be able to
survive in today's modern society which changes quickly. Shanghai men have a
better educational background and furthermore, they have an international mind
and outlook. We believe that this contest can help others to find out more about
the new 'Shanghai Man'."
Le echoes Liu's opinion by saying that "Shanghai men" are practical and have
an international perspective and a great willingness to accept new things. His
own view of "Mr Shanghai" is a man who "loves the city of Shanghai. He should be
a true man, which means he should be highly responsible and have his own
understanding of life."
Wu Zhengxu, a college student who also works part-time as a gym coach, said:
"Shanghai men are not as 'scraggy' as people often think. Shanghai men are
really creative and confident about showing themselves." He said "Mr Shanghai"
should have a healthy body and mind and a wide general knowledge.
Refreshing attempts
However, as this will be the first "Mr. Shanghai" contest, Liu said there
were no precedents to follow. The organizers had set up a lot of tests including
some outdoor activities, an intellectual quiz, dress shows and so on.
"It might be difficult to fully demonstrate the inner personality and
cultural background of a person in such a short period," said Wu Zhengxu. "But I
believe the tests would still be persuasive and bring out the personality and
advantages of every contestant."
As far as Amy Li, a college student, is concerned, the "Mr Shanghai" contest
makes no sense and has no meaning. "It is merely aimed at attracting public
attention for commercial purposes," she said. "Such contests largely rest on the
explicit image of the participants and hardly probe into their personalities. I
do not think it is the best way to find the true value of a person."
According to a survey conducted to ascertain what were the standards that
made men attractive on the Mr China website, two main points emerged:
gentlemanly characteristics and a sense of humour.
Gu Jun, a sociologist at Shanghai University, said: "It is quite a refreshing
attempt and choice for Chinese people and actually we need such 'spiritual'
activities and festivals as we are creating much more material wealth than ever
before. There may be some controversies and defects in the contest itself but,
in fact, nothing will be as perfect as expected and it will always have some
redeeming features."
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