Residents of Zhengzhou, Henan Province arrive to peek at a nude model hired by photographers last month. Nude modeling has drawn public concern after a string of scandals about indecent photos. Photo: CFP

By Lin Meilian and Deng Jingyin

Some call it art while others call it pornography. Nude modeling may not be new in China or the rest of the world but a recent celebrity scandal has triggered a debate about whether it is indecent, wrong or illegal.

Zhang Qi (not real name) said she felt relieved to hear from a photographer that posing nude was just art, according to the scol.com.cn.

Zhang, 30, told the website she was proud of her body and her measurements: 1.61 meters tall, 46 kilograms, white skin, killer legs and a cute face.

It started in the summer 10 years ago when she was walking in a small county in Sichuan Province and realized someone was following her.

The strange man approached her and presented himself as a "photographer."

She decided to accept one of his persistent invitations to pose and she recalled the day like it was yesterday.

After she stepped into his studio and removed her dress, she said she felt like she was making a mistake.

"A stranger was going to spend the next few hours watching every pore and every inch of my skin," she said. "The more I thought about it, the more I felt nervous."

She said she never took any money from the photographer.

"I don't want to sell my body for money, I want to do it for art," she said.

There are numerous girls doing the same thing in cities across China, but for cash.

A big hit

The girls and the business behind them came to the foreground after Yan Fengjiao, a TV contestant, became an overnight sensation after her sexy photos were exposed on the Internet.

Yan, 21, with innocent appearance and sweet smile, became famous in April after her appearance on a TV dating show, If You are the One, or Feichengwurao on Jiangsu Satellite TV.

However, the young woman found herself in the eye of a storm after a set of photos showing her in just underwear began circulating on the Internet two months ago.

Yan later told the media that she was forced to take those pictures. However, the Global Times learned that nude models are plentiful across the country.

"Anyone can be a nude model since this circle doesn't set high requirements for us. You can be 20, or 30, and you can be a school graduate like me, even if you were once a street girl," Jiajia, a 20-something girl who has been a nude model for nearly a year, told the Global Times.

She said that some models got gigs from agencies while others are self-employed and find work through the Internet.

Most nude models live in big cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

"Some models earn 3,000 yuan ($443) or less a month, but some make a monthly income over 10,000 yuan or even more," Jiajia said.

Yan Fengjiao, a model, is seen in one of her controversial photos. Photo: Internet source

Besides money, instant fame lures some girls into removing their clothes.

SmartCell, a Shanghai-based online games developer, invited Yan to promote one of its new games.

The woman left the TV show in May after the scandal.

However, the models have to face a shaky reality - the job provides no stable income and the underground business lacks proper administration.

Pose and smile

Some agents and even some amateur photographers usually organize shoots. If the model is obscure, the organizer charges every photographer 300 to 500 yuan for a two-hour shoot.

There is often no relationship between the organizers and the photographers and as a result, the models often lose control of the pictures, as in Yan's case.

"Yan Fengjiao or the models she stands for are just victims of promotion. Popularity means a history of sad stories including fraud, sex or sexual affairs," Jiajia said.

Some experts attributed the popularity of nude modeling simply to a huge public demand.

Li Yinhe, a sociologist and sexologist, told the Global Times that all that is real is rational.

"Not only men, but women, have such kind of interest in pornographic photos. The statistics show that 40 percent of all porn consumers are female," she said.

Some experts said some pictures are in the middle when it comes to deciding whether it's art or pornography.

"Professional artistic photography of the human body should be kept in art classes where students under the instruction of tutors take photos of naked models, otherwise it might be pornographic photography," Xia Xueluan, a profession of sociology at Peking University, told the Global Times.

He added that authorities should supervise such kind of photography, to clearly define and classify art and pornography.

The Ministry of Culture issued a notice recently that required cultural watchdogs nationwide to strengthen the management of online games marketing, a response to Web celebrities who used their "indecent" photos to earn fame.

Li Jiesi contributed to this story