Man Man Zou

Last week while I was waiting down in our apartment entranceway for some friends, I looked through the stash of flyers on the table. Just a quick sift and I came across several advertisements with photos of foreigners I know in town. I realized that I often see ads with Yuanlin foreigners. I should have been collecting all the ads I’ve seen of fellow foreigners this whole time- Yuanlin’s very own caucasian models.

I love how convincing the photos are, like learning English at a cram school is actually exciting!

Here are Dave and Jade:

I hope this isn’t going to embarrass anyone in town- hehehe. Here’s Mark striking a pose (different Mark from the Mark you’re used to hearing about):

I’ve seen him in many ads over the years around town. Here is another part of the pamphlet:

But what really sparked my interest in this subject, was this recent ad from the Geant supermarket flyer (above the pads):

It’s of Phil and Stacey- two newlyweds who just returned to town after getting married. Before they left, they went and got some very beautiful photos taken at a local wedding shop. I looked at their wedding book- it’s incredible. While they were back home getting married, the wedding shop owners immediately went to work making use of their wedding photos for advertising throughout town- including giant posters on the side of those terrible blue trucks with blaring speakers!! I’m not too sure if they were asked beforehand, I’m guessing they weren’t.

There are many more ads like this, probably a majority of foreigners here have been used in publications of some sort. Heck, just last month I was paid 1000nt to go in for an hour and pose as the foreign teacher at an open house at a new Kid Castle school in a nearby town. Hundreds of parents and students came. All I had to do was stand there and smile for the pictures :)

Yuanlin