????中國國際車展在中國是一件大事，正如組織方不斷提醒你的那樣——它是亞洲規模最大的車展，也是世界規模最大的車展之一。如果你計劃參加北京車展，正如筆者本周所經歷的一樣，這種夸張的宣傳會讓你以為這是一場嚴肅的車展。

????事實上，你會發現，在近100萬名參觀者中，許多人愿意花13美元入場費的真正原因是：車模。中國人對車模的熱情甚至超出了對汽車的癡迷。當然，這里說的并不是那些裝有擋泥板的“車模。”我們說的是身穿裙子、晚禮服、超短裙、T恤衫，偶爾甚至只穿吊帶裙的超級模特們。

????當然，在底特律或紐約的車展上，大家也能看到許多車模——但她們通常是靠在一輛蘭博基尼（Lamborghini）旁邊或者站在舞臺上。而在北京車展上，模特們幾乎無處不在——在北京龐大的新展廳內，不僅舞臺上有模特，數不清的中國國產汽車旁邊也都有車模。而且很明顯，她們愿意面對相機鏡頭，這一點鼓舞了以男性為主的參觀者為她們拍攝大量照片。從上午9點車展開始到晚上8點車展結束，幾乎每一位模特都是鏡頭追逐的對象。

????中國媒體也不甘心旁觀：新浪網（Sina.com）發布了一篇文章，描寫中國頂級模特們工作的地方，她們的體重和胸圍，以及她們在車展上的經歷。

????中國國際車展每年在上海和北京輪流舉辦。筆者在最后一天來到了車展現場。雖然距離全球汽車媒體涌入北京參加媒體日已經過去了整整九天，活動對公眾開放也已經有五天時間，但展廳里面依然人頭攢動。福特（Ford）、雪佛蘭（Chevrolet）和幾十家中國汽車制造商參加了展出。

????The China auto show is a big deal in China, as the organizers like to remind you. Biggest show in Asia. One of the largest auto shows in the world. The superlatives tend to set your expectations for some serious car gawking when you plan on attending in Beijing, which I did this week.

????What you discover, perhaps even more than China's fascination with cars, is why many of the nearly 1 million attendees pay $13 to get in: the models. No, not the kind with fenders. We're talking supermodels in dresses, evening gowns, short skirts, T-shirts, and the occasional tube top.

????Sure, at the auto shows in Detroit or New York, you'll see plenty of models -- but they're usually hugging a Lamborghini or elevated on stage. In the Beijing auto show the models are, well ... everywhere -- standing next to countless Chinese cars throughout Beijing's massive new exhibition hall, not just the ones on stage. And their apparent willingness to stare into camera lenses encourages the mostly male attendees to take as many pictures as possible. Nearly every model is hounded from the moment the doors open at 9 a.m. until they close at 8 p.m.

????Chinese media are in on the game: Sina.com posted a useful story about where the top Chinese models would be working, height and bust sizes, and experience at the show.

????I made it to the last day of this year's show, which rotates annually between Shanghai and Beijing. Though I arrived a full nine days after the global auto press swept into Beijing for media day and five days after the event first opened to the public, tens of thousands of people were still flooding into the exhibits for Ford (F), Chevrolet (GM), and dozens of Chinese automakers.

????經常往返于紐約和上海的美國模特達芙妮?希爾頓說：“人們太瘋狂了。”她正在與一位名叫芭比的匈牙利模特喝咖啡。兩人都表示參加凱迪拉克（Cadillac）的展出非常幸運，她們可以穿著優雅的禮服，登上大量的版面。然而想要拍照的參觀者數量之多，還是令她們感到尷尬。 “情況跟歐洲完全不同。他們幾乎要湊到你的臉上來，” 希爾頓說。“他們跟我說，不能在展廳內閑逛——因為不安全。”很明顯，繁忙的時候，展廳內幾乎水泄不通。

????此外，車展上也有許多男模。有一位來自塞爾維亞的男模尼莫?內馬尼亞?巴洛維奇，我問他中國車展與歐洲車展有什么區別。他笑著說：“在中國，人們只想拍模特的照片，而不是汽車。”聽起來，他對這種現象更多是感到好奇，而不是煩惱。希臘男模尼歐塔芮奧斯?克魯普洛斯在休息室依然穿著量身裁剪的灰色西裝。很顯然，他搞不懂人們拍了照片會拿來干什么。“發微信（WeChat）嗎？”他猜道。

????中國車展觀眾對模特的熱衷早已不是什么新鮮事——一位中國超模就曾在車展上穿過這樣的服裝。而且，許多中國模特經紀公司都把車展視為一年中最重要的活動之一。齊坤（音譯）是中國最著名的模特經紀公司之一新絲路模特經紀公司（New Silk Road）的經紀人。新絲路在今年的車展上有超過10位模特。她說：“車展對于任何一家模特經紀公司都非常重要，因為這是展示公司實力的一個絕佳平臺。”她說，她們給模特的唯一指示就是，遠離社交媒體，休息時間不要在展廳內閑逛——或許還是為了她們自身的安全。

????今年車展與眾不同的地方在于，不久前，中國政府剛剛開展了大規模的打擊奢侈浪費活動。名表名酒的銷量直線下跌：新浪網最近因為提供色情內容而遭到處罰；今年年初，中國警方剛剛在中國南方結束了一場打擊賣淫嫖娼的大規模行動。模特崇拜似乎會成為下一個打擊目標。

????但至少，情況在一年內不會發生任何變化。與此同時，中國互聯網上出現了一批圖片網站。模特們是主要的賣點。（財富中文網）

????譯者：劉進龍/汪皓

????"The crowds are crazy," says Daphni Hilton, an American model who splits her time between New York and Shanghai. She was taking a coffee break with a Hungarian model named Barbie. Both said they feel lucky to be working at Cadillac's exhibit where they wear elegant dresses with a lot of coverage. But the number of people seeking photos is still awkward. "It's totally different than Europe. They move right up to your face," said Hilton. "They told us we shouldn't wander the halls -- it's not safe." Apparently during the busy days, the hallways are almost impassable.

????There are plenty of male models on the floor as well. I asked Nemo Nemanja Barovic, a male model from Serbia, how China's show is different from those in Europe. "Here they only take pictures of the models, not the cars," he said, laughing. He sounded more curious than bothered. Neutarios Kiruopoulos, a model from Greece who was still wearing a tailored grey suit on break, was genuinely puzzled with what people do with the photographs. "WeChat?" he guessed.

????The excitement that follows models at China's auto show isn't exactly new -- one of the country's supermodels once wore this dress to the show. And many of China's modeling agencies consider the show a key event in the year. "It's important for any modeling agency because it's a very good platform to show your strength and power," said Qi Kun, an agent at New Silk Road modeling agency, one of China's better-known agencies, which had more than 10 models at this year's show. She said the only instructions they give models is to stay off social media and not to wander the halls during breaks -- again, probably for their own safety.

????What's different is that this year's show comes after the Chinese government has made a big show of cracking down on excess. Sales of luxury watches and expensive liquor have plummeted; Sina.com, the Internet portal, was fined recently for hosting pornography; and police staged a big prostitution sting in the country's south earlier this year. The model worship seemed like it could be a next step.

????Changes won't come for another year, at least. In the meantime, picture galleries of the auto show are now popping up across Chinese websites. Models are the main attraction.