Su Zizi (苏紫紫), a student at Renmin University of China, stripped and dunked herself in ice-cold water after giving naked interviews.
She has become the latest Chinese Internet sensation.
On January 6, as part of her body art photo collection, she jumped into a big fish tank in a Beijing market, filled with ice-cold water to “experience the awful feeling of icy suffocation.”
“Reporters represent the eyes of the public. If I can face you in a composed and comfortable manner, then I can do the same to the public,” she told journalists who wanted to cover the story.
A male reporter from Fazhi Evening News (法制晚报) said it was the most uncomfortable interview he had ever taken.
Sensing his embarrassment, Zizi took the initiative, asking the reporter how he felt facing her naked body.
“This is just work as I have to eat,” the student said of her part-time job.
She charges 3,500 yuan (US$530) for a day’s shooting.
Artist Yang Linchuan (杨林川), head of Zhongshan School of Arts and Science in Nanjing, supports Zizi, saying she is working for her school, dreams and art.
Other media reports:
From China Daily - A college student paid her tuition fees by posing as in naked model portraits, sparking a heated discussion online, Beijing News reported on Jan 5.
Su zizi is a sophomore at the influencial Renmin University in China. She threw a small exhibition named 'Who Am I at the end of 2010' at her university, demonstrating some of her nude portraits.
"I have to support myself during study. I can get 500 yuan ($ 75) for each set of naked pictures." she said, "at the very first, I was so nervous about others' reaction to me, but later on I know how to protect myself and my family, such as signing a contract, which means if the images are distributed by studios they will face legal penalties."
But not everyone understands her choice. Rumors, even unfriendly words could be read from some online posts.
"I should clarify that my job as a naked model is legal, though it is despised by some. I get more interests from this naked portrait as an art form. Since I have learned how to display one's inner beauty through nude body, I would like to become an excellent photographer in this industry in future."
From Global Times - Nude modeling is a controversial career in China. Some think it is shameful, while others think it is brave. But for Su Zizi, a 19-year-old student from Beijing-based Renmin University of China, nude modeling offers her the chance to pursue pure art.
"In my eyes, nude modeling is a career that needs to be respected, and it is a kind of art I will explore in my whole life,"Su told the Global Times.
"Being a nude model doesn't just mean wearing nothing for me, it also helps me to know my body better and express my attitude toward the world."
Su has worked as a part-time nude model for nearly nine months. As a student from a poor family, Su decided to be a nude model to earn money. However, she gradually fell in love with the career and took it as a path to deeply examine herself and society.
At first, Su did not tell her parents about her part-time job, but finally, her parents found out.
Silent support
"My father asked why I chose this way to express myself as he thought my job would not be approved by society. However, I persuaded him, hoping my art can be understood by my family," Su said.
Although her parents did not say yes to her modeling career, they did not stop her either. For Su, her parents were silently supporting her behind her back.
In addition to pressure from society, Su also needed to endure unpleasant experiences while being photographed. According to her, some photographers do not like to communicate with models and just force them to pose as they order.
"Being a nude model demands that I endure the psychological and physical stress, but I choose to carry on," Su said.
'Who am I?' exhibit
As part of her artistic expression, Su held an art exhibit themed, "Who am I?" on campus, at which she exhibited her nude photos and videos.
"The exhibition is my homework, and I am not afraid of expressing myself this way. I think people need to get rid of their burdens and by being naked they can know themselves better," Su said.
Su spent a lot of time and money on the exhibition. She took all the photos and videos herself and she borrowed more than 20,000 yuan ($2,900) from friends to finance it.
"I did almost all the preparation work by myself. For example, touching up the photos, inviting the hosts and choosing the venue. But I am so glad that my friends are supportive," Su said.
But her bare-all exhibit also received criticism. "Some female students said they couldn't accept my photos and my mother also called me 'psycho'. But some teachers liked it and encouraged me to keep on working," Su said.
Stamps of approval
Cong Zhiqiang is Su's tutor, and said he was surprised when he saw how she chose to express herself.
"Su was the only student that expressed herself this way, which shows she is unique and creative," Cong said.
"At first, I was shocked, but after a second thought, I accepted it because everyone had their own style to express themselves."
Cong added that Su did a good job and her exhibit showed she had seriously thought about the meaning of life.
Tan Jun is a 37-year-old director and a supporter of nude modeling careers.
"She not only showed a vivid personality in her works but also displayed the value of art itself," Tan said.
"We should enjoy her works from a high spiritual level, and then our hearts will be purified," Tan added.
Dong Jinling, 41, a filmmaker and close friend of Su, also approved and said that her works showed her understanding of life.
"Su has had a rich and tough life experience, so she sees some things that others ignore. Her works also displayed her pursuit of pure art, so I suggested the viewers explore the deep meaning of her art rather than take them as something shameful," Dong told the Global Times.
Su Zizi, China's Internet celebrity, to unveil 'shocking' photos in Beijing
Su Zizi says that she first became a nude model out of necessity, but gradually fell in love with body art photography.
She dropped her clothes to pay her way through school, shot to fame, and now she's planning to reveal even more of herself in her next Beijing art show.
Ever since blogger Fei Wo Feifei Wo uploaded a clip of nude model Su Zizi (her stage name) on the Internet at the end of last year, the Renmin University student has become the first true Internet celebrity in China in 2011.
The Chinese media has so far focused on either scandalizing Su’s nude modeling career, which she began to pay for her college tuition and support her grandmother, or on dismissing Su’s rise to fame as something that occurred due to pure luck rather than talent.
Neither characterization is entirely accurate.
It's now common knowledge that Su was born into a poor family, abandoned by her parents when they divorced, and raised by a paralyzed grandmother, but here she reveals much more about her path to online stardom and what lies ahead.
From business to art
"I went into nude modeling because we desperately needed money to pay for my grandmother’s medical fees. I didn’t really understand the profession at all [before I started],” says Su of her early nude modeling career.
Most of her projects were commercial photo shoots, earning her as much as RMB 500 a shoot, but she quickly realized that the complex nature of the industry didn't suit her.
The industry’s "hidden rules" were the greatest threat to the inexperienced 20 year old.
"I was constantly harassed and told that if I wanted to earn money, I would have to ‘pay the price.’ I couldn’t stand it any longer so I left,” she says.
That explains many of the seemingly cryptic posts on Su’s blog, one such entry was posted in early March 2010: "I’m beginning to reject some commercial shoots. There are too many shadows, and I can’t see the sun. I feel like running, I want to chase my dreams.”
The Renmin University art major eventually moved on from commercial shoots and started posing for famous Chinese photographers such as Cui Jian and Liu Zheng.
Last November, Su successfully held a photography exhibition in Beijing titled “Who Am I.” It showcased a series of pictures of her in the nude, and helped her shoot to fame overnight.
"There is unrivaled beauty in the natural expression of human emotion, and what can be more natural than the naked human body?” she says of the show as she smiles.
Taking it all off in front of male photographers is no easy feat, but Su says she has developed a strategy for overcoming any psychological barriers.
"Once you’re calm, they’ll be calm too. Because they know that they are only using your body as a tool for expressing emotion.”
Love and family
Su met her current boyfriend seven months ago. He’s 10 years older than her and is also a Beijing resident.
"He has a proper job and wears business shirts to work. We belong in two different worlds,” she confesses, adding that what she likes most about him is the sense of security he gives her.
"After achieving Internet popularity, I feel that my life has actually become more peaceful. I feel especially safe when I am with my boyfriend. I’m very lucky to have him,” she says demurely.
She appreciates his silent but steadfast support, so much so that she says rumors and Internet criticism of her and her modeling have no effect on her daily life.
Su doesn't deny the media accounts of her background, openly talking about how she was abandoned by her parents when they divorced and raised by her grandmother. The inconsistent upbringing, she says, left her with a hazy concept of family.
"Before [meeting my boyfriend], I never knew what it was like to be part of a complete family, but now when I’m by my boyfriend’s side, I’m starting to like my new concept of family.”
Looking forward
If you peel away the labels the media has given her, Su is in fact a cheeky and slightly rebellious post-1990s child.
"I’m a really random person,” says Su. “I don’t have much money and I hate choosing clothes.”
As a result, large-sized children’s clothes sold for less than RMB 100 in Beijing’s Xidan District have become her attire of choice.
"Moreover, children’s clothes are all made of cotton so it naturally cares for my skin, isn’t that good?”
Although she generally gets along fine with her classmates in Renmin University, she feels that she is not quite like all the other students.
"My classmates like to dress like office workers and they all lead very guarded lives, you can barely tell that they are art students. Perhaps it’s because my school has a very strong political tradition,” she comments.
And while her Internet fame has not substantially affected her life, Su and her controversial exhibition have stirred up much heated discussion between Chinese netizens.
Even though some netizens support Su’s career choice, even more still hold the profession in contempt. Some even have said they feel sorry for Su or blame her for not making a "decent living” for herself.
Su, on the other hand, says that she hopes that her artwork will have a chance to change the prejudices that the majority of Chinese society still holds against nude art.
"Prejudices exist when people don’t know or don’t understand something. That is why I hope to help more people understand body art,” she says.
Those who wish to further understand Su and her "body art" will get their next opportunity at her next photography exhibition to be held on March 18 in Beijing.
"This exhibition will be very, very shocking,” says Su mysteriously.
She refuses to divulge further details.
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