Models cut tour due to 'lewd fans'
A GROUP of Canadian models has cut short a China tour, accusing one audience of being lewd, and its Chinese hosts of failing to provide enough mineral water of their choice.
''They said people were not interested in clothes, just in their breasts and rear ends,'' said a Chinese official involved in arranging the tour, which started in Beijing last Wednesday.
Another major complaint of the group was the shortage of Evian mineral water. ''We gave them Sprite, and orange juice, but they wouldn't drink that. They wouldn't drink Chinese mineral water. How were we supposed to know they would only drink French mineral water?'' said the official.
The Chinese side became so desperate for Evian mineral water, of which there were only six bottles in the models' hotel, that it scoured the city's other establishments so as to meet the models' demand. Eventually, one hotel came up with 20 bottles of Evian, but, by then, it was too late.
''The needs have not been met, resulting in forfeit of the shows,'' said Brenda Wong, the Canadian production manager for the show. She said the contract had been broken, but would not elaborate on the models' complaints.
Ms Wong said neither she nor any of the other models would make further comment to the press.
According to the Chinese official, the 12 Vancouver models, including a Miss Chinatown from that city, went back to Canada at the weekend, after having given only a single night's performance at Maxim's restaurant, the Poly Plaza Hotel and the Xiang Yun dance hall in Beijing.
The models were mostly upset about performing at the dance hall. ''They thought we were taking them to a red light district, but we were taking them to one of the best places,'' said the official.
A source close to the events said that the women, who were modelling swimsuits along with casual, leather and evening wear, thought the men in the audience were making lewd remarks about their bodies. But the source, fluent in Chinese, said she heard no such remarks.
The models were also upset that men were trying to peek into their changing rooms, and that, instead of racks to hang their clothes, the dance hall provided only a rope.
Other complaints included the Chinese host's demand that the models give three shows in one night, instead of the agreed maximum of two. The models also felt they were not given enough time to rest and rehearse after arrival at Beijing.
''It was all a misunderstanding,'' the source added.
A search party for the models was sent out when they failed to return to their hotel for a pre-performance meal on Thursday evening. When they were finally tracked down, a man involved in the search urged them to go back and offered to pay their cab fare.
The models, not recognising the man, thought he was trying to kidnap them, the source said. ''They really freaked out,'' he added.
Some Japanese customers at Maxim's on Thursday night smashed glasses in anger at the models' failure to show up for the performance, the official said. ''The first night was very successful, but the second night they didn't come,'' a manager at Maxim's said.
On Friday, the models went to the Canadian Embassy to explain their case, and the embassy arranged for them to leave China, the sources said. The weekend duty officer at the embassy refused to comment on the case.
The Chinese host was the China Oriental Research Association, which is run by the Ministry of Culture.
