Child Modelling in China: Learning process is more important than the final result

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Child modelling is growing in popularity in China. Many parents spend a lot of money and time on professional training for their children. But not everyone thinks this a good thing, and some parents and experts worry so much exposure can have a negative impact on kids. CGTN's Wu Lei has more.

6-year-old Li Zimeng has been learning and practicing modeling for over 2 years. After finishing a national child modeling contest at a Friday morning, she was walking a show with other children models for a local cloth brand at that night.

LI ZIMENG CHILD MODEL "About two years ago, when I first saw a teacher, I was not satisfied, so I told my mum this training was boring, but two years later, my performance is much better and I found it's very interesting."

It takes time and training to become a professional child model. At this training center, there are tens of thousands of new children every year. A growing number of parents are willing to pay the fees.

PAN LIQUN CHILD MODEL TRAINER "The training time is not fixed. The shortest is about 3 months, while the longest can be 6 years. It depends on the family's financial situation and the interests of the children."

Zhang Wenbo is Li Zimeng's mother. She says after two years of training and practice, her daughter is becoming much more confident. But as the children move on to primary school, some parents are concerned about a negative impact on their children.

ZHANG WENBO LI ZIMENG'S MOTHER "In kindergarten, children have more time to take part in the shows and photo shoots. But when they go to primary school, many parents want their children to stop modeling and put more weekend time into academic training. I don't agree. I will still let my daughter follow her interest."

Zhang Wenbo said she will support her daughter as long as she enjoys the process.

WU LEI ZHEJIANG "Modeling is a serious profession, but for children, it's becoming an increasingly popular way to cultivate and improve a child's personality. But experts say parents should pay more attention to their children's learning process, rather than the results of modeling competitions."

HE JIE, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT, ZHEJIANG UNIVERSITY "From the perspective of psychology, we have done some research on children's personalities. We found after attending many model contests and shows, some children might become overconfident and peacockish. They may put too much emphasis on external traits rather than internal ones."

Some parents and experts are also worried that it might be too early for these young models to dress like adults, and to learn how to please others in order to achieve a goal. Parents and their children are encouraged to think twice before following the same trend. WL, CGTN, Zhejiang Province.