Wednesday, December 19, 2007

A little fat.

Sun Xi Yuan is a 75 years old retired army doctor who used to take care of high ranked officials.
Now she is living in a two-room apartment in the outskirts of Beijing getting a pension of 2000 Yuan per month.
270 $ or 184 Euros.

She is a happy woman.
In good health although having symptoms of diabetes.
Most remarkably is that she makes jokes, makes fun and is enjoying life.
She walks with liveliness as if she was in her 40’s.

Also for her the visit of the “Most beautiful people in the world”-delegation is an extraordinary event.
She receives generously and with open arms the photographer, his excellent translator and friend Lee, the CCTV-crew and the kind Dutch journalist Erwin Tuil.
Her son has come to assist and chaperone her.



Sun Xi Yuan makes a remarkable statement.
For her beauty is how she looks.
And about this she is rather confident and self-assured.
She claims:

“I am the most beautiful woman in the world because I have big eyes, a high nose and small lips.
But now I am getting a little fat.”


Meanwhile an issue has come up the “Most beautiful people in the world”-team is discussing seriously.
One of the major magazines in China, Marie Claire, has requested if they can publish the project.
By origin, Marie Claire is a French magazine.
A general interest publication focusing mainly on women with emphasis on fashion and life style.
But also social subjects are generously published.
There are versions of Marie Claire now in many parts of the world.
Also in Mandarin in China.
What is the topic of debate is the request of Marie Claire to send along on a visit to a most beautiful person a journalist.
That is no problem.
Several journalists have been coming with the team.
But Marie Claire also wants to send along a photographer.
This is a delicate matter.
The team doesn’t want the project to be hijacked.
To loose the exclusivity of the textual and visual material.
It might be that the Marie Claire-photographer shoots a lot of material including pictures of the most beautiful person.
And that next Marie Claire publishes without needing anything from the project.
In other words, a great idea, a wonderful event, a good publication at no cost for the magazine.
How to avoid this possible loss of business?
We want Marie Claire to publish the texts and the images of the project for which they will have to pay.
Like has been happening in several other countries.

Today is another team meeting to discuss this issue.
To come up with an elegant and diplomatic solution.




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