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Showing off manly beauty on T-stage T 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.
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.
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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."
