The lean, lanky model leaning against a column at The Fullerton Hotel on this page looks as though she is staring down at the world from a pedestal. Emma Pei, 21, may not be quite at the pinnacle of success in the modelling world yet - but give it time, and she may well be.

She is one of the hottest Asian models around, in demand at home in China and on international catwalks, including here where she was in two shows at the Singapore Fashion Festival (SFF) earlier this month.

Pei leads a brigade of mainland-born bright young things - including Lili Shen, Kiki Kang and Zhang Xu Chao, who were also at the SFF - causing a Chinese revolution on the catwalks. Thanks to these leggy specimens of genetic perfection, Asian models are being looked at with new regard.

But it hasn't come without some obstacles.

Apart from the tendency for the West's catwalks and magazines to shun Asian beauties for blue-eyed blondes, there are difficulties closer to home.

Within China, the fashion industry has been tainted by tales of model mismanagement.

'Many agencies simply sign on the girls and then leave them to book jobs for themselves,' an insider to the Chinese modelling industry told Urban on condition of anonymity.

He did not mince his words talking about the scene in China, saying that models are sometimes viewed as 'professional prostitutes' by the Chinese.

But still, countless young girls try their luck because 'they see how glamorous the models are and how much money they can earn'.

Chinese girls may dream of wealth, but wage disparity is one of the big issues for those who do make it out of China.

A top Chinese model can command about US$1,000 (S$1,353) per runway show in China.

In Europe, however, the same model will probably have to settle for about S$400 per show.

They are also sidelined by bookers overseas.

Shen, 20, who has been to Paris and Milan, said candidly: 'When it comes to casting, many designers go through our portfolios very quickly.

'Maybe they don't believe that Chinese models are as good as the European ones.'

CHINA CALLING

If the accolades that Pei is attracting are any guide, those designers are in for a wake-up call.

The willowy, delicate lass caused a sensation at the SFF. Designers and show organisers alike said she was the ultimate mannequin - polite, obliging and never one to throw a diva-esque tantrum.

Fellow models Shen, Kang and Zhang held their own against local crowd favourites Sheila Sim and Junita Simon, and eclipsed the other foreign models with their distinctive Asian looks and graceful walk.

Fashion observers say this is no surprise.

After all, China has become the global force to be reckoned with. With the Beijing Olympics coming up in August, all eyes are naturally on China.

'China developing, the Olympics, movies like Memoirs Of A Geisha and Curse Of The Golden Flower, that was the revolution,' said Watson Tan, managing director of local modelling agency Upfront Models.

He said the China effect has spread to include Asian models in general. 'Paris, Milan and New York have requested Asian models from us,' he said.

Just a few years back, model Du Juan, now 25, was the only flag bearer for China in the international fashion scene.

The Miss China 2003 had her big break when she made the cover of the debut issue of Vogue China in September 2005. This catapulted her into the international runway scene and into the pages of foreign magazines like French Vogue.

Du has also appeared in print ads for fashion labels Benetton, Gap and Louis Vuitton.

Before Du, two other China models who managed to make a name for themselves internationally were Mary Ma Yanli, who reigned in the mid 1990s, and Lu Yan, who began her career at the start of the millennium.

But unlike Du, who is highly popular at home and abroad, Lu's exotic looks haven't been well received in China. Ma has since retired and designs clothes under her label, Mary Ma.

Then last year, Pei grabbed the limelight, opening the Japanese-inspired Christian Dior spring haute couture show in Paris.

'I guess I stood out because I was a new face abroad and there were very few Asian models at casting sessions,' Pei said.

It also helps that overseas-based Asian designers who have made a name for themselves, like Anna Sui, Phillip Lim and Izumi Ogino of Anteprima, have been very supportive of Asian models.

Spotted in their shows are a who's who of the best that Asia has to offer, including Pei and Du; Japanese model Ai Tominaga and Koreans Hye Park and Han Jin.

LATEST MODEL

It seems as if China has turned into one huge model-making factory to feed the demand for Chinese models.

There are more than 100 universities in China offering modelling degrees, said a source in China.

Besides the expected grooming, fitness and catwalking classes, students have to attend art and dance classes as well.

'Compared to models from other countries, these Chinese models are machines,' he said.

'These model production houses churn out model after model who are so beautiful and who float on stage.'

Model Jerry Fu, 24, is one product of this system (see below).

'Taking all those lessons in art and dance has helped me learn to express myself with just my face and eyes,' he said.

'This type of non-verbal communication is actually quite typically Chinese,' he added.

However, Urban's source in China pointed out that the models - sometimes recruited from villages - are usually young teens aged 14 to 16 and so shy that nothing can be taken for granted.

'They have to learn to control their fingers and to look people in the eye,' he said.

But in spite of all this training and preparation, the modelling industry is a tough nut to crack.

It can be difficult for Chinese models to get themselves booked for magazine editorials and ad campaigns, for example. However, this is sometimes a matter of logistics.

The creative director of Milan-based fashion label Anteprima, Izumi Ogino, explained that Asian models do not always stay in European cities long enough to lock down print jobs.

'If the client has to fly the model in from China, then they would rather not hire her,' she said.

But the rise of China is proving an incentive for designers to include Asian faces in shows.

Tan of Upfront Models agrees their increasing presence is in part a 'business-motivated decision'.

Ogino is realistic. She said: 'Yes, everyone likes Asian models. Asia is such an important market, so everybody likes to use Asian girls in their shows.'

Tan noted: 'Chinese models add a touch of spice to runway shows with their distinctive looks. They are the pinch of salt and pepper. That's why you can't have shows with 100 per cent Chinese or Asian models.'

But will there ever come a day when designers use a Chinese model not just for the sake of having that token exotic face?

Tan said: 'A lot of fashion brands are quite tired of the sick-looking European look and want to use somebody different.

'This is the moment Asian girls and boys should try their luck.'

Indeed, Chinese fashion designer Qiu Hao said: 'Being a supermodel like Kate Moss is not about how you look or walk but more about your personality.

'Young people in China are just learning how to express themselves and to develop their individual personalities. It may take time, but one day there will be a Chinese supermodel.'

This article was first published in Urban, The Straits Times on Apr 24, 2008.