A self-made woman: meet China's first Miss Plastic Surgery

The mainland crowned its love affair with cosmetic surgery yesterday when 22-year-old student Feng Qian was picked as China's, and the world's, first Miss Artificial Beauty.

Feng, who is studying plastic surgery at Jilin Plastic Surgery Hospital, produced certificates to show she had gone under the knife four times. She beat 18 other contestants, including a transsexual and a 62-year-old pensioner, and a bevy of 18-year-old altered flesh.

The contest, held in the Pingju Theatre in Beijing, lasted 41/2 hours as dozens of speakers - mostly plastic surgeons - addressed the crowd in a barely disguised advertising fest.

Cosmetic surgery is booming on the mainland. Nearly $20 billion was spent on hundreds of thousands of operations last year.

Surgery has grown in popularity in the last decade as young women - and a few men - rush to find whatever advantage they can in a cutthroat job market. Feng, from northern Jilin province , said her win had increased her confidence. 'I hope my win will make those who want to have surgery but don't dare, dare to do it.

'Natural beauty and cosmetic surgery beauty are the same and they should be recognised as that.'

Feng said she underwent surgery to enhance her beauty, but also to see what it was like since she planned a career in the business.