0281 Grandpa Top Model

Cross-dressing is not a new concept on China – not much is, when you get right down to it. Anyway, there is a long and honorable tradition of men playing the parts of women in Beijing Opera performances. But in the world of youth fashion, this is a first: Liu Qianping, a 72-year-old retired farmer, came to Guangzhou to visit his granddaughter, Ting, who runs a start-up on-line fashion boutique. As fate would have it, he arrived just as the model she had hired to wear her clothes in a photo shoot cancelled. Grandpa Liu tried on a jacket and liked its style. So his granddaughter took photos of him in it and other items of clothing, posted them and China’s next top model was created. Filial pietists accuse Ting of elder exploitation but Grandpa begs to differ. He considers himself lucky to be so famous and he isn’t reticent about offering style advice. What’s more, visits to Ting’s online site have increased fourfold. 72 is the new 27. #ceas #hacker #china