Beauty queen Guan Qi walks down a blue, sloping corridor clad in a bohemian brick-red dress fastened with a multicolored ribbon around her slim waist.

Releasing her pink-and-red cloak to put it onto the handrail, she steps forward to present a crystal bottle of Evian mineral water.

Spurred by the growing demand in the Chinese market for the top French water product, Guan has become the first Chinese person to be selected by Evian as its image ambassador.

"Because we want to win over more customers in China, which is a big market, we hope the person who represents us here shall be someone adored by Chinese audiences," said Frankie Sun, presiding CEO of Evian, who attended the event held late last month in Beijing.

Guan, second runner-up in the Miss World contest in 2003, also gained the "Miss Asia" title that year.

She has been a model, and is a college teacher at the Beijing Garments Institute, from where she graduated with a Bachelor's degree majoring in fashion design.

After the glory of her enviable 2003 Miss World win, Guan has been active on the catwalk, presenting top fashion brands like Chanel, Swarovski, Versace and Christian Dior.

"We decided to invite her to represent our brand because I see her natural beauty and genuine behaviour - her beauty of youth, naturalness and confidence -- fitting in well with our corporate image," said Sun.

Guan behaves as a friend to everybody she talks to, having none of the vanity or accentuated self-esteem of the celebrity.

"I didn't feel like leaping in the air or crying out when I heard I won the title," recalled Guan, who knows how to keep a peaceful state of mind. "I always want to be the natural, true me, instead of somebody else."

Born into a happy family in Jilin Province, from a young age Guan fostered a wide range of interests including painting, dancing and music, encouraged by her parents. "I stopped dancing because I grew too tall after primary school and no boy would pair up with me; I was forced to play the violin, but I am grateful for that now because it planted in me the seed of love for music," said Guan.

As a young girl she loved the piano, but her parents couldn't afford to buy such an expensive instrument back then. "When I was in high school we were finally able to buy one, and I worked so hard to learn the piano, always happy practising on the keyboard."

Because of her tall stature, Guan has since middle school been active in the volleyball team, eventually attaining the level of a second national grade professional volleyball player in China.

"Sport has given me the power to be strong and persistent, and music has given me a serene character, enabling me to pick the good and reject the bad," said Guan. With perseverance and confidence in herself, Guan said she has always pushed herself forward, even at the outset when a modeling teacher deemed her not good enough to become a model.

And even with fame, Guan still lives a healthy normal life, every day combining her work as a model with her spare time interests in enjoying music and family and friends. "I don't like late nightlife, and I've no intention to try for fame in the entertainment field, such as becoming an actress - that kind of life is just not suitable for me," she concludes.

(China Daily August 12, 2005)