Chinese Beauty Culture

Beauty Standards
ME WORLD

Inner Beauty Health Beauty Social recognized

Outer Beauty
Beauty

Virtue Constitution Appearance Cultural Criteria

– Virtuous – Exercise & fitness – Body shape building – Traditional Chinese
– Connotation – Skin care – Facial features aesthetic
– Intelligence – Hair style – Modern Asian
– Well cultivated – Cosmetics aesthetic
– Confident – Fashion – Western aesthetic
Social Recognized Beauty
Different Culture & Different Standard
 Chinese Standard Then and Now
–Slender and graceful –Sickness and fragility
figure as ideal of feminine –Delicacy, elegance and
beauty grace
–Strength and confidence –“Three Inch Golden Lotus”
as virtues as symbol for feminine –Beauty was influenced by
beauty, hierarchy and morality women’s newfound freedom
and increased contact with
Western
–Rise in popularity of
lipsticks, eyebrow plucking
and shorter skirts

–Beauty no longer as a
–Delicate features and formal requirement in ideal
plump faces standards relating to
–Energetic, full-bodied women’s role
women –But to possess virtue and
–Known as “Jade Beauty” talent

Republican
Western Han Dynasty T’ang Dynasty Ming Dynasty Ch’ing Dynasty movement
Source: Article <Chinese Beauty through the Changes of Time>
 Chinese Standard Then and Now
–Hollywood movies’ function as the
bible of beauty
–Famous actresses, ladies and
young girls from ordinary families all
copy the same style
–With eyebrow pencils and false
eyelashes, dark-colored lipsticks
1930s-Hollywood Parade
Source: Article <Chinese Beauty through the Changes of Time> & <Changing face of Chinese beauty>
–Being ashamed of the "evil
whiteness" of skin- the "capitalistic
color"
–A sun-kissed, scorched visage after
years' graft in the fields was ultimate
early' 60s fashion statement
1960s-Say 'no' to whitey
–1980s: Conspicuous Consumption
 Panda eyes
 Blood red lips
 Not realize make-up can be applied
according to personal preference
–1990s: Contemporary Lady
 women start to have freedom to
change faces
 Singer Faye Wang is well-known for
her innovative face make-up
 The blue-gray edges and "less is
more" fashion.
–2000s:
 Female beauty became a
commodity in a renewed importance
of the expression of body and gender
ideals
After 1980s-
Fashion-any fashion at all-is in
 Beauty Icons Then and Now

Li
Yuchun
Ruan Lingyu

Jiang Qing Gong Li

Hu Die

Deng Lijun Zhang Ziyi

30-40’s 70’s 80’s 90’s 00’s

Source: <China Beauty> 2006

Social Context of Beauty
 Social Recognized Beauty Trend

Diverse aesthetic of Chinese beauty

萝卜青菜，各有所爱
Ordinary beauty
 Trend I: Diverse Aesthetic of Beauty

Classical & Elegant Beauty Stunning Beauty Intelligent Beauty Wild & Sexy Beauty

Naive Beauty Standard-featured Beauty Delicate & Sweet Beauty Character Beauty
 Trend II: Ordinary Beauty
Li Yuchun is on the Top beauties list by following Gongli, who looks plain and is better known
for her tomboyish style, outpaced Zhou Xun and even Zhang Ziyi to secure the second place
shows there is no fixed aesthetic criteria in today’s China.

1 2 3 4

Gong Li is said to have

oriental charm and
Ordinary Sweet and lovely like a fairy,
she achieves her fame in
representation of
“oriental beauty”
western disposition Beauty movie and music.
Source: People's Daily, 2006/05/22
Outer Beauty
 Care of Looking Good

Urban citizens spend average 13.7 minutes per day on looking

themselves into the mirror
1 3 .7

8.6

Average Men

Source: 2006 Fashion Index Survey, Horizon

 Beautiful Face Features Criteria
Accordingly a Chinese beauty must have an oval face, willow-leaf shaped eye-brows and a
mouth that curves upwards at the corners.

The outline of Zhang

Ziyi's face

Fan Bingbing's eyes

How it comes out?

Cecilia Cheung's eyebrows

Liu Yifei's nose

A picture of a simulated woman's

face made by the computer which is
viewed as a standard Chinese beauty Maggie Cheung's mouth

Source:International Cosmetics and Fashion Week, The Beijing based Mirror newspaper, Dayoo photo, 2005/10/15
 Outer Beauty Trends

Extremely pursue perfection of beauty

Man-made beauty
Body shape building

Keep up with global fashion trends

Beauty lies in details
 Trend I: Extremely Pursue Perfection of Beauty
 Man-Made Beauty
Hao Lulu was so-called “No.1 Chinese
man-made beauty” by 18 times surgery
to transform the appearance, obviously
she was successful and led herself in
the spotlight and a promising future.
Cao Dandan is awarded “the best
appearance award” in the first
Chinese man-made beauty pageant,
now she steps into entertainment
circles.
Li Fei shows the "V" before undergoing
plastic surgery in Shanghai, she believes
that creased eyelids will improve her
chances of securing a good job and a
suitable husband after graduation.
- That’s Shanghai
 Man-Made Beauty

"A Chinese woman uses the pretext of tourism, successfully

completed plastic surgery in Korea and afterwards found her knight in
shining armor."
- Report by Korea's "Cultural Daily "

More and more Chinese are flocking to Korea for plastic surgeries despite the
expensive surgery fees, which is 12,000 RMB (US$1,500) for double eyelids,
16,000 RMB for bulking up nose and other more difficult procedures are priced
at between 20,000 to 60,000 RMB.

According to a research article in Time Out magazine in Beijing, over one

million Chinese were surgically enhanced last year.

Source: Chinanews.cn 2006/05/23, Time Out Magazine

Body shape building
Trend II: Keep Up With Global Fashion
Trend III: Beauty Lies in Details
Health Beauty
 What To Do For Health Beauty
Cosmetics: ￥ 314/M
At Home Beauty Parlor Not Fixed

Skin care
47.1% 12.3% 40.6% 84.20%
treatment regularly

Fitness 62.70%

Owership of Gym Beauty treatment

card
16.70% Fitness ￥ 821.5/Y
￥ 118.3 once

Owership of body-
17%
building equipment

Source: <China’s urban women lifestyle survey>, Y2006; <Survey of women’s consumption in 8 cities>
 Health Beauty Trends

Physical health IS beauty

Skin care
 Health conscious
 Whitening vs. Natural Skin Color
 Dermatology vs. Beauty from inside out
 Skeptism in brand promise
Trend I: Physical Health IS Beauty
 Trend II: Health Conscious
Air pollution Working environment

Dry climate
Computer radiation

Ultraviolet radiation
Low water quality

Unsuitable skincare
Air conditioner

– Pay attention to what to eat, what to drink, what to use for skin care, what to nurture body
– A key incentive for Chinese consumers to buy a product is perception of medical treatment
benefit
– Keep skin healthy, stay away from chemistry
– Products what promise no chemistry additive, but instead with natural ingredients become
more popular

Source: “China’s beauty market” 2005/08/04, Hong Kong Trade development Council, Euromonitor,
Trend III: Whitening vs. Natural Skin Color

Young Chinese women are increasingly aware

avoiding suntan, since maintaining a fair complexion
especially white skin continues to be the mainstream
beauty trend
Natural and healthy skin color represents image of full
of energy and vigor, becomes a character beauty trend
 一白遮百丑
A white complexion is
powerful enough to hide seven
faults.
 Trend VI:
Dermatology vs. Beauty from inside out

Through advanced dermatology, beauty can be

achieved by all the problems of skin are solved
According to Chinese medicine theory, skin and overall
condition mirrors the inner body, achieving beauty only
can by keeping inner health, both physically and
spiritually.
– 排毒 Detox (Clean body)
– The concept of Chi – SPA
– Keep good habits – Massage
– Sleep well – Exercise
– Eating healthy
– Release pressure

Physical

Outside

Inside

Spirit & Mind

– YOGA – Keep good spirit
– Outdoor Sports – Smile, big smile
– Arts – Peaceful mind
– Slow down
 Trend V: Skepticism in Brand Promise

– Since SKII’s problem was discovered, followed by Clinique, Lancome, Dior and Estee
Lauder werehave the same problems, this caused trust crisis
– Consumers start to be very cautious about ingredients inside the skin care products
and its exaggerated effect, and consumers want the manufacturers really take care of
their skin
Inner Beauty
 Inner Beauty

Beauty is confident of being who you are

Beauty is a way of life
 Beauty is Confidence
Yang Lan has been the Olympic image
ambassador of Beijing, her smile, her
confidence makes her more beautiful.
-2006 Miss Chinese Cosmos Pageant

Outer beauty gives more

confidence, and when you are
confident of your looking, then
beauty is from inside out.
- Annie Yi
 Beauty is Way of Life

Top 5 Attributes of Attractive Women

Elegant 94.57%

Intelligent 79.49%

Healthy 72.65%

Sexy 70.45%

Fashionable 67.13%

Source: 2006 China International Beauty Week

 Chinese Beauty Trends
ME
Inner Beauty Health Beauty
Virtue Constitution
–Beauty is confidence –Physical health is beauty
–Beauty is way of life –Skin health conscious
–Whitening vs. Natural Skin
Color
–Dermatology vs. Beauty from
inside out
–Skeptism in brand promise
WORLD
Social recognized
Outer Beauty
Beauty
Appearance Cultural Criteria
–Nothing too much for –Diverse aesthetic of
taking care of looking Chinese beauty
good –Ordinary Beauty
–Keep up with fashion
trends
–Beauty lies in details
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