By Li Wenfang and Wang Wei

Guangzhou - Double eyelids, nose jobs, breast enlargements; that is what a growing number of Chinese college and high school students are looking for during the summer vacation after putting down their textbooks.

Up to 80 percent of Beijing's plastic surgery market this summer consists of senior high school and college students hoping to improve their appearance and land better jobs, according to a study on the Beijing market by China Medical Treatment Orthopedics and Beauty Association.

That proportion is expected to hit 90 percent in the coming years, the association said.

Excessive employment pressures and higher beauty standards are the leading reasons for the popularity of the surgery, said a researcher called Xu who worked on the study.

"Students believe having a better appearance increases their employment chances amid the bleak job market," he said. "Better looks will boost their self-confidence, they think."

A doctor surnamed Zhong at Guangmei Cosmetic Surgery Hospital in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, explained student clients have been growing markedly since the start of the summer vacation.

Many cosmetic surgeons in the city offer special packages for young people, he said.

The number of students visiting cosmetic surgery clinics during summer and winter vacations has been 10 times more than in school time in the last two years, Southern Metropolis Daily reported.

Shenzhen Humanity Hospital received 30 student clients last summer, about 30 percent more than usual. That figure is expected to increase by 10 this year.

Many are from art schools. A dance major at Shenzhen University said 80 percent of her 50 classmates have gone under the knife.

Liu Chen (not her real name), a senior at Shenyang Normal University who is majoring in art, flew from Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province, to Beijing to get breast implants at China-Japan Friendship Hospital.