I had never worked with, or even spoken with real models before. My cursory knowledge of models and their habits was based on whatever I heard of the exploits of Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell and the film Zoolander. I was both curious and apprehensive when I got a phone call from Toread (探路者China’s largest outdoor clothing company) inquiring if I would be willing to work as an outdoor consultant on their catalogue photo shoot in Lijiang and Dali. Toread wanted a foreigner with outdoor experience to make their models look gnarled, in control and adorned with all sorts of outdoor gear hanging in the right places. Their previous catalogues pictured well groomed, squeaky-clean catwalk models striking poses reminiscent of North Korean statues, usually holding a piece of climbing equipment upside down. Their creative director demanded that a foreigner was required for such task and somehow my name came up.
Can you wear shorts to the top of Zhomolungma? (Mount Everest), admiringly asked me Wang Feng, the rockstar and the face of Toread. We were filming him at the summit of Cang Shan near Dali, I was wearing a pair of shorts and a down jacket, perfectly adequate, but considered a superhuman, yogic feat by the tourists, the Toreaders and Wang Fang’s entourage. My bare legs drew astonished stares, with comments on their nakedness mixing with those on their hairiness and, more flatteringly, their muscularity.
My reputation as a superman was cemented as soon as we left the cable car and started making out way to the summit of Cang Shan. Our caravan of managers, photographers and make-up artists was piled up with boxes and bags of clothes which had to be ferried up. A few minutes later, altitude (4000m above sea level), chain smoking and life-long abhorrence of exercise did their job - everyone was hanging on to the walkway’s railings, engaged in some serious air-sucking. Bags and boxes were unceremoniously discarded. I made my way to the front of the caravan, picking up boxes and bags along the way. Tai lihai le, said, with a self-congratulatory tone, the chain smoking creative director who was leaning against the railing, face bright red. He had obviously chosen the right foreigner.
Wang Fang was given a guitar and was striking pensive poses in the shrubbery, the cameras snapping away, a pile of windbreakers, fleeces and waterproofs waiting. I had nothing to do, so I decided to play with my climbing rope, coiling it in different ways to see which one the Toreaders would prefer, when a ripple of excitement tore through the female Toreaders: She just called him! It was her! Definitely her! It turned out that the actress Zhang Ziyi (of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon fame), the current girlfriend of Wang Feng, just called the rock star.
Wang Feng took the best part of the day, I did not have anything to do as Wang Feng was not required to be decorated with any of the rock and ice-climbing gear I had at my disposal. The gear was intended for the models, Russain, Mexican, Brazilian and one from a country that nobody could remember (it turned out to be Serbia), who were awaiting us in Lijiang.
The models were very tall and very cold. Temperature – wise. We met them in Lijiang, they were sitting around a table in a rather dingy restaurant shivering, waiting for their dinner. Judging by what they were wearing (very fashionable, but not very insulating) none of them obviously knew, or were informed, how cold it can get in Lijiang (a city in southern China, but close to the Himalaya and at 2300m of altitude) in November. This place is amazing, brother, Bruno, the Brazilian male model, told me, but is bloody cold. I thought we were going to South China, so it would be tropical, like Hong Kong, he added. The Serbian male model, all 6 foot 4 of him, vigorously nodded in agreement. The Russian female model sneered. The evening chill of Lijiang was obviously nothing compared to the climatic ferocity of Mother Russia. I looked at her with respect.
The filming was to be done at the summit of Yulongxueshan (Jade Dragon Snow Mountain) and several other locations near Lijiang. I knew were staying somewhere in the countryside and I expected a comfortable rustic hotel, WiFi, hot showers, and evening beers by the fireplace regaling the models with my tales of sporting adventures in China. I never got a chance – crushing my log cabin hostel fantasy, the Toreaders rented an entire house from their Yi (an ethnic minority in the mountains of Yunnan and Sichuan provinces, fierce bandits and slaveholders until as recent as 50 years ago) owners. We were sleeping two to a room (unheated) which was someone’s bedroom. I was cursing myself for not having brought my -40C mountaineering sleeping bag as the temperature in my room was only marginally above zero.
The models, to my surprise and admiration, were not phased or pissed off, treating it as an adventure, but they were wearing almost everything they brought along, wrapping their heads in t-shirts for extra warmth, looking a lot like German soldiers in the Eastern Front in the middle of winter. I lent all the warm stuff I brought along and was not actually wearing to the Mexican and the Brazilian, the gigantic Serbian (who used to play football professionally) turned down my offer as did the sneering Russian. I also gave my models a lecture on altitude sickness, and soon they were swigging away at their bottled water every five minutes.
Can you wear shorts to the top of Zhomolungma? (Mount Everest), admiringly asked me Wang Feng, the rockstar and the face of Toread. We were filming him at the summit of Cang Shan near Dali, I was wearing a pair of shorts and a down jacket, perfectly adequate, but considered a superhuman, yogic feat by the tourists, the Toreaders and Wang Fang’s entourage. My bare legs drew astonished stares, with comments on their nakedness mixing with those on their hairiness and, more flatteringly, their muscularity.
My reputation as a superman was cemented as soon as we left the cable car and started making out way to the summit of Cang Shan. Our caravan of managers, photographers and make-up artists was piled up with boxes and bags of clothes which had to be ferried up. A few minutes later, altitude (4000m above sea level), chain smoking and life-long abhorrence of exercise did their job - everyone was hanging on to the walkway’s railings, engaged in some serious air-sucking. Bags and boxes were unceremoniously discarded. I made my way to the front of the caravan, picking up boxes and bags along the way. Tai lihai le, said, with a self-congratulatory tone, the chain smoking creative director who was leaning against the railing, face bright red. He had obviously chosen the right foreigner.
Wang Fang was given a guitar and was striking pensive poses in the shrubbery, the cameras snapping away, a pile of windbreakers, fleeces and waterproofs waiting. I had nothing to do, so I decided to play with my climbing rope, coiling it in different ways to see which one the Toreaders would prefer, when a ripple of excitement tore through the female Toreaders: She just called him! It was her! Definitely her! It turned out that the actress Zhang Ziyi (of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon fame), the current girlfriend of Wang Feng, just called the rock star.
Wang Feng took the best part of the day, I did not have anything to do as Wang Feng was not required to be decorated with any of the rock and ice-climbing gear I had at my disposal. The gear was intended for the models, Russain, Mexican, Brazilian and one from a country that nobody could remember (it turned out to be Serbia), who were awaiting us in Lijiang.
The models were very tall and very cold. Temperature – wise. We met them in Lijiang, they were sitting around a table in a rather dingy restaurant shivering, waiting for their dinner. Judging by what they were wearing (very fashionable, but not very insulating) none of them obviously knew, or were informed, how cold it can get in Lijiang (a city in southern China, but close to the Himalaya and at 2300m of altitude) in November. This place is amazing, brother, Bruno, the Brazilian male model, told me, but is bloody cold. I thought we were going to South China, so it would be tropical, like Hong Kong, he added. The Serbian male model, all 6 foot 4 of him, vigorously nodded in agreement. The Russian female model sneered. The evening chill of Lijiang was obviously nothing compared to the climatic ferocity of Mother Russia. I looked at her with respect.
The filming was to be done at the summit of Yulongxueshan (Jade Dragon Snow Mountain) and several other locations near Lijiang. I knew were staying somewhere in the countryside and I expected a comfortable rustic hotel, WiFi, hot showers, and evening beers by the fireplace regaling the models with my tales of sporting adventures in China. I never got a chance – crushing my log cabin hostel fantasy, the Toreaders rented an entire house from their Yi (an ethnic minority in the mountains of Yunnan and Sichuan provinces, fierce bandits and slaveholders until as recent as 50 years ago) owners. We were sleeping two to a room (unheated) which was someone’s bedroom. I was cursing myself for not having brought my -40C mountaineering sleeping bag as the temperature in my room was only marginally above zero.
The models, to my surprise and admiration, were not phased or pissed off, treating it as an adventure, but they were wearing almost everything they brought along, wrapping their heads in t-shirts for extra warmth, looking a lot like German soldiers in the Eastern Front in the middle of winter. I lent all the warm stuff I brought along and was not actually wearing to the Mexican and the Brazilian, the gigantic Serbian (who used to play football professionally) turned down my offer as did the sneering Russian. I also gave my models a lecture on altitude sickness, and soon they were swigging away at their bottled water every five minutes.