Project bugway

It was a chance for Chinese models to break into the international fashion scene.

China's Guangxi TV teamed up with an Italian fashion agency for a satellite TV show called Loren Models Contest.

In the annual show, a group of 40 models, selected from provinces and cities across the mainland, compete to become one of the 12 finalists.

Their prize?

A trip to Italy - to possibly sign with a big modelling agency or walk the catwalk in Milan.

Like all the other fashion contests, this, too, had all the usual rounds.

But the normal catwalk on Monday was given a creepy twist by the Italian fashion agency, thatsmag.com reported - the catwalk was filled with hundreds of thousands of live beetles.

And the models had to walk on them barefoot, the report said.

Some bugs were crushed, while some models fell while trying to walk the slippery path.

A few of the girls initially baulked at the bizarre idea, while some even began to cry.

But they had no choice but to walk.

The prize, a chance to do the catwalk in Milan, was too irresistible.Criticised

The unusual catwalk was covered extensively by mainstream Chinese media and websites.

That seems to be the idea - to get maximum publicity out of what could have bean a routine modeling contest.

Even though the concept was roundly criticised, some netizens felt that the models showed devotion to their craft.

The first Loren Chinese Top Model Contest was held in 2010.

It is the only Chinese final of a model contest held in Italy.

This article was first published on August 14, 2014.
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