Christy Yung

　　Just as in western readership markets, pretty girls do sell magazines in China. Eddy Chang is typical of the kind of reader FHM seeks to deliver to its advertisers. Educated, salaried and aspirational, Beijing local Chang looks for cars, girls and sport in a magazine. "What's inside the magazine is important," says Chang. "But there's no question that I'm drawn by the better-looking girl. If I see a good-looking girl looking and saying something different, then I'll buy that magazine." Pretty but wholesome girls tug Chang's purse strings. He's keen to see sexy girls showing more flesh, but prefers Chinese girls. And there are not enough of them in FHM, he complains. Only about 30 percent of FHM China's articles are locally produced, the rest being lifted from international editions of the magazine. Locally written features range from camping maps to entertainment guides. The "Sex Confidential" section however has begun to probe China's sexual peccadilloes.

　　More girls and less skincare advice would also suit Xin Lei, a 25-year-old graphic designer who chooses a different men's magazine every month. "There's always lots of photos of Hong Kong girls. They're the prettiest. But there should be more photos and information about Japanese and Korean and Chinese women."

　　Xin points approvingly to a recent issue of Mangazine, published by the Nanfang Newspaper Group, an all-Chinese effort at a men's magazine which featured a photo spread and article about sex diarist and author Muzi Mei. She wasn't, however, put on the cover. "This isn't appropriate to the magazine," said a spokeswoman for Nanfang. "We care about all-round sophistication."

　　Mangazine, published by the Nanfang Newspaper Group, is an all-Chinese effort at a men's magazine. With long articles about local rich people, entertainers and sports stars, Mangazine also features fashion advice and articles imported from foreign publications.

　　Eddy Chang's favorite covergirl, Fan Bingbing is meanwhile relaxing over at Cloud Nine bar in Beijing's Sanlitun. Genuinely beautiful, she's not however on covergirl mode. Dressed in dark gray combat pants and a white shirt, none of the punters sitting nearby recognize a girl whose face is splashed across the city's newsstands. Trends approached her to be their covergirl, she says. Fan is quick to scotch any notion that covergirls are merely instruments of male chauvinism, to be ogled by over-sexed males. "I think it's a liberating thing. It's a positive career move," she says. "I like how I was portrayed and I think it showed me as an interesting, well-rounded person."