“People can change their life as many times as they wish,” he said. Wang’s physicality, notable in a society where men rarely highlight their attractiveness, also sets an example in a nation that is growing older fast. So has old fresh meat replaced young fresh meat? Some fans call him laoxianrou, or “old fresh meat,” making a play on the word for teen idol: xiaoxianrou, or “young fresh meat.’’ His appearance on the runway earned him a cultlike following. Last year, he appeared bare-chested in a fashion show in Beijing’s 798 arts district, featuring designs by Hu Sheguang. He makes the feeling that’s in the Rodin sculptures come alive.” Such power for life really comes from the inside. But he has this amazing sculpted body and spirit. “I do body art, and you know, after a certain age. “I really admire him very much,” said Xiao Lu, 54, a performance artist. The idea, he said, came from his wife of 48 years, Zhao Aijuan.Īfter the first show in Beijing, in 1993, the authorities, disturbed by its sensuality, barred Mr. He began working out, determined to have a lithe body that would allow him to interact, almost naked and covered in metallic paint, with copies of Auguste Rodin’s and Camille Claudel’s sculptures of women. He wanted to be a “living sculpture.” He also needed money. Wang was eager to move to Beijing, China’s cultural capital. The girls refused at first, thinking it was indecent. I wanted to start a sense for fashion among ordinary people. The best clothes they had were fur coats, and for men, woolen Sun Yat-sen suits” - also known as Mao suits.īack then, he said, “Chinese had no sense of color or style. “I went to the city’s biggest department store and told the sales clerks, ‘Give me your nicest clothes, and I’ll organize a show.’ They agreed. “In 1982, the clothes Chinese wore were so out of date,” he said. Wang, who would teach runway modeling at a Beijing fashion school, staged what he believes was the first modeling show in the northeastern city of Changchun. Later he worked in radio, film and theater. “Even if there was just one sentry, say, at the top of a hill, like once in Dalian, we’d surround him and perform,” Mr.