She says of her style: "My outstanding characteristic is that I don't have a strong characteristic. I'm like a piece of blank paper, you can paint it any color you want."

"I had never been told that I'm beautiful before I became a model," says Liu. "I still don't think I am. However, compared with Western models, I think we (Chinese models) are more feminine, demure and not as tough as some Western girls appear to be."

The type of Asian models favored by the international market today has changed from the "look" in vogue a decade back. Then there was a demand for Chinese models with very "exotic" looks, such as Lu Yan and Li Xin.

The look: long, narrow eyes, single eyelids, defined cheekbones, a full mouth, a nose without a high bridge. That was quite different from what Chinese people liked, and what they still like today.

Both Lu and Li were considered not just "average" but actually "ugly" by many Chinese people.

"At that time, China was still a mysterious Oriental country to many Western people," says Liu, a native of Hunan Province. "So were Chinese models. You could easily be remembered as long as you had some distinctive Asian features."

Lu Yan

But things are different nowadays, due to the country's rapid development in recent years, and the international success of Chinese actresses such as Zhang Ziyi.

"Your body proportions and your attitude toward the job are what count the most," Liu explains. "They must meet the international standards."

Those international standards are a height of at least 1.78-1.8 meters, a rather bony/angular frame and a small "palm face."

Further - and very important - models need to be good in front of a camera. Top fashion photographers and magazines look beyond runway skills - they want models who are imaginative, dynamic, flexible and spontaneous.

These are the major standards cited by Emma Cai from ESEE Model Management, one of China's leading model agencies, contracted with top models including Sun, Song Shanshan, Kang Qianwen and Zhou Bin.

"Graduates from Chinese modeling schools are all very well trained with catwalk skills, but most of them have very poor shooting sense," she says. "To be international-wise, you must be creative and look good in front of the camera."

According to Russell Woo, an established local show/event director, perfect body proportions and a tiny face are crucial.

"As a model, it's the clothes that wear you, instead of the other way round," he points out. "After all, fashion is still a game played exclusively by slim people. To display the clothes, being skinny is far from enough. You must have long legs, too."

Maggie Mao, fashion editor from Grazia magazine, concurs that tiny faces are essential.