Yuxi's World
But, there was more to her success than post-modern media-generated hype.
"Many Chinese people felt left behind at that time. In 1992, I was in Beijing giving a make-up demonstration. A woman in her mid-30s came up to me, holding a tube of lipstick. Her hand was shaking. She said 'Yuxi, I have never worn lipstick before; I don't know what to do with it.' It was shocking," said Kan.
Kan's anecdote goes some way in explaining the nature of her role-part circumstance, part drive, part luck-in the social history of the country's transition to modernity, especially that of the country's women.
"I had travelled extensively and felt I was a very good candidate to fulfil this much-needed role. I understood what was involved," said Kan.
By 2003, Yue-Sai Kan Cosmetics had generated annual revenues of almost US$50 million, making it very saleable. And it was sold, to L'Oreal, the world's largest cosmetics company, although Kan retained a controlling interest.
Sharing her good fortune has always been part of Kan's plan. As an ambassador for UNICEF and with her interest in China's youth and their education, Kan looked for a way to get involved in education in China. She began by building a school in Guilin.
"We have built five school buildings for 230 local children of poor families. We provide great scholarships for them. Before that, their schooling took place in school buildings that were unsafe…completely out of date," said Kan.
Kan has continued to capitalise on her good fortune and national celebrity. She has written three best-sellers in China: One World, Yue-Sai's Guide to Asian Beauty and Etiquette for the Modern Chinese. Her TV credits include contributing to the popular Chinese culture programme "Half of the Sky" and documentaries on China: "Journey through a Changing China," "Mini Dragons and Doing Business in Asia" and "China Walls and Bridges" for which she won an Emmy Award in the United States.
Now 56, Kan's celebrity story in China is far from over. Although not the massive celebrity of former days-something that may be about to change-she is still a household name, loved and adored by millions of Chinese all over the world.
Kan was in Beijing promoting her latest TV series "Yue-Sai's World" that promises to be fun, celebrity-TV that delves into the lives of the lives of the rich and famous-of which she now very much belongs. It will air in 36 provinces across China in the New Year.
"For the new series I interviewed my friends and had great fun doing it," said Kan. On the show, her friends include Julio Iglesias, Victoria Beckham, Jean-Paul Gaultier and Roger Moore, Hilary Clinton and Celine Dion.
"The biggest challenge remains for me to syndicate myself across the media networks in China," said Kan of her latest venture in China.
By Daragh Moller
Source: btmbeijing.com
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