SMAP. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Zhu Guangrui, publisher of Xin Wei, says that when China Girl was first held the winners' main job was modeling for the magazine and attending fashion events in China and Japan. Over the years the competition has expanded so that successful entrants take part in TV shows, movies and video games.

Jia Qi, 28, from Inner Mongolia, was selected as one of the top winners from China Girl in 2010. She learned traditional Chinese folk dance from when she was 7 and later graduated from Minzu University of China in Beijing.

She is now a TV presenter and takes others who have been successful in the China Girl competition and trains them for careers in the entertainment industry.

"Unlike in South Korea, where pop groups' managing companies keep a very tight rein on them, in China we have a lot of freedom," Jia says.

"The lines between various industries, such as TV, movies, online broadcasting and modeling, are blurred. Competition is fierce, and these days young people are much more hungry for fame than they were when China Girl began. From a very early age they want to become a star."