Strike a pose
By Maikel Liem
Photo by Yao Fan

怀着对中国历史人物成吉思汗的敬仰, Tanis八年前从法国来到中国. 四年前来到厦门, 在这里被多家服装公司看中, 当起了职业模特. 这份令人艳羡的工作对Tanis来说却并不是件好差事. 酷暑天穿着厚厚的羽绒服令其大汗淋漓, 耀眼的闪光灯也让眼睛颇为难受. 作为一名职业模特, 其中的酸甜苦辣只有Tanis自己体会最深. An interest in the history of Genghis Khan brought Swiss-Frenchman Tanis Paré to Asia 8 years ago, a move that was the starting point for his career in China. Tanis has traveled to many places in China, from Beijing to Hong Kong and Shanghai, but finally settled in Xiamen where he has worked for the past four years as a model as well as a marketing director for a clothing company.

China's fashion industry

Tanis was born in the center of Paris, France, which is known as the fashion capital of the world. At an early age he and his family moved to Belgium and later to Switzerland where he studied Art History. Little did Tanis know that he would end up in working in Xiamen's fashion industry. A travel enthusiast, Tanis has been to most parts of China and even undertook a strenuous bus ride from Pakistan to Beijing. When he came to Xiamen in 2001, he was immediately asked to work as a model because of his natural good looks and charisma. After having posed for dozens of various brands, modeling became his main line of work. However, during one of his photo shoots Tanis came into contact with the owner of King Hero, a menswear clothing company, for which he is now the marketing director, sharing his knowledge of western fashion. At present the company has many branches in cities such as Shenyang, Chongqing, Chengdu and Shanghai. They are producing clothes for clothing brands such as Pierre Cardin and Guy Laroche. For many years, western fashion has found its way to China, but according to Tanis "fashion in China is currently experiencing a big boom" because "8 years ago the Chinese were little concerned with fashion, but now they try all different kinds of clothes, including Western, Korean and Japanese styles." However, "sometimes their mix of clothing styles can look a little bit strange," he remarks with a smile. "The younger generation of Chinese do not seem to follow any set standard of fashion as we see in the West," so Tanis is watching these developments with great interest.



The Chinese have become more and more aware of fashion and this might eventually result in the disappearance of many of the small "copy" clothing companies, which favor fast production over quality. These Chinese companies cannot meet "the growing need for good quality clothes," says Tanis. Also, they "put too much effort into simply copying western style clothes instead of creating new styles." As a result of China's booming economy, people are more willing and able to spend more money on good clothing.

A hard day's work

Contrary to popular belief, modeling is in fact hard work, and it is impossible to do it eight hours a day, 7 days a week. "The continuous flashes from the camera will hurt your eyes and cause headaches," and "wearing winter clothes in Xiamen on a midsummer day can be very exhausting," notes Tanis. Also, "on the day of shooting you cannot afford to be sick, otherwise they will not call you again," the model said after having almost fainted during a shoot. For this reason, he models no more than a few days a week. Over the years he has posed for the camera a fair amount and his pictures can be seen at SM City, on Zhongshan Street, and even in Shanghai's famous Nanjing street. "It is interesting to note that 4 years ago the models in Xiamen were not seen smiling in pictures, because people wanted the "cool" look, but now things have changed," says Tanis with an even bigger smile.

The model's relationship with the photographer is very important; he is like the director who oversees everything and makes all the decisions. Many photographers in Xiamen cannot speak English, but fortunately Tanis has a good command of the Chinese language, an ability which he uses both during photo sessions and for his company. In addition to French, English and Chinese, Tanis also speaks German and some Italian.



So what does it take to be a good model? First of all you have to be able to work fast and know your poses, because the photographer will take many pictures in a short time. Secondly, you have to "know" your own face, that is, your different facial expressions. Finally, a professional attitude and good communication skills will also add to your success.

Look into the future

Tanis is enjoying his stay in Xiamen, because "Xiamen is cleaner than any other Chinese city I've visited and the people are certainly friendly." But you never know what the future holds and where you'll end up next. During his four-year stay in this city, Tanis has also been to a great number of other places in China and has traveled back and forth from China to Europe many times. During August and September, he will attend the annual fashion shows in Paris and Madrid to gather information about the latest fashion trends. Always on the move, Tanis is keeping a keen eye on the development of fashion in China and the world.

My Xiamen
Article by Sammy, Photo by Bill


Peter comes from America, who lives and works as a teacher in Yangon, Myanmar. He is currently visiting his brother in Xiamen.

1. How long have you been in Xiamen?
I have been here only a few days. I will stay another week.

2. What do you like best about life here?
The interesting culture is amazing to me. The people are friendly and the food is very unique. I have eaten Chinese food all over the world. However, the authentic cuisine has been the best I've ever had. I have had so many new dishes. I only wish I could remember what they are called.

3. How do you spend your spare time in Xiamen?
I have visited a few places of interest in and around Sanming. In Xiamen, I have visited the Overseas Chinese Museum to see the exhibition of the Terracotta Warriors from Xi'an. I hope to see Guanglangyu. It sounds very interesting.

4. If there was one thing that you could change about Xiamen, what would that be?
I have not been here long enough to make any significant criticisms. I must say the bus system seems thorough and efficient.

5. What is your favorite dish?
Spicy chicken.

6. What do you think are the differences between your hometown and Xiamen?
My hometown is on the Mississippi River. Xiamen is a major seaport. Here they have developed their waterfront much more than my hometown has. I wish my hometown could strike a balance between commerce and aesthetics in the waterfront area.

7. What's the last great book you read?
The Life of Pi by Yann Martel.

8. What is your favorite quotation or piece of advice?
I tell my students to keep their heads in the clouds but their feet on the ground.

Vocabulary
Genghis Khan 成吉思汗
strenuous 费力的
charisma 气质
eventually 最后
contrary 相反的
exhausting 使人筋疲力尽的