The girls you can see in the photos are models temporarily living and working in Beijing. Most of them come from Eastern Europe or Russia. Their visa usually limits their stay in China for two or three months only.
During this short period, they appear in commercial events, on runways and pose for shootings.
A lot of businesses in China rely on their looks and beauty to convey their brand message of being fashionable, international and high-end. From top tier fashion magazines to regular taobao stores, their hair and skin color, as well as their facial structures cater to the aesthetical standards in China. Products, brands, and services appeal to Chinese customers through the display of these models. After exhausting hours of work, they return to their simple apartments located around the East Fourth Ring Road outside the center of Beijing. In these crammed apartments, they share rooms and even beds. The commonality of their lives forges friendship albeit the short amount of time they spent together. The words and sketches they scrawl on the walls become another trace of their lives here, just like the images of their faces left behind long after leaving Beijing.
