Madame Tussauds Beijing invites fans

In the modern era, the cult of celebrity is no longer exclusive in elite and wealthy circles. The rise of mass media and the Internet have made fame and celebrity more achievable, but this hasn't diminished the appeal of celebrities in the public eye.

Madame Tussauds gave Metropolitan a sneak peek of its Beijing museum at Qianmen Dajie on May 23, a week ahead of its official opening. It is the third Madame Tussauds museum on the Chinese mainland, joining ones in Shanghai and Wuhan, Hubei province. The Beijing museum features notable figures from the past and present, but it also includes a diverse mix of star look-alikes from the East and West.

Diverse appeal

Roaming around the museum is like being on a celebrity safari. It's easy to feel astonished, excited and even haunted spotting the sea of famous faces. The lifeless gazes of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and Russian President Vladimir Putin illuminated by high-wattage bulbs is enough to send a chill - or thrill - down anyone's spine.

For Chinese visitors, many who have witnessed the rise of celebrity culture dominated by Western individualism and consumerism over the past two decades, Madame Tussauds is an ideal place to understand celebrities through their wax look-alikes.

"Compared with attractions around the world, Madame Tussauds Beijing features a fusion of Western and Chinese cultures," Wang Rui, general manager of Madame Tussauds Beijing, told Metropolitan while seated near a wax model of Hollywood heartthrob Johnny Depp. "Visitors will see Chinese elements not in small fragments but as a whole in the presentation of exhibits. It is so deeply related to local people that Chinese visitors will feel the studio is for them."

A tour of the "Spirit of China" exhibition begins with a familiar hutong scene. Wang declined to name wax models in the exhibition, only hinting that some of them were Chinese business leaders.

In addition to Putin, the museum's other political heavyweight includes US President Barack Obama. "The [Oval Office] scene featuring Obama is identical to the White House. Many people enjoy taking photos with Obama at his desk [at other Madame Tussauds museums]," said Wang. There is also a touch of nobility from Madame Tussauds' regular guests: the British royal family.

The all-star lineup of sports celebrities includes British footballer David Beckham, but not in his trademark sports kit. For those who prefer stars from the entertainment world, American pop diva Lady Gaga joins Chinese rock icon Cui Jian, as well as two models of kung fu legend Jackie Chan in different poses.

Madame Tussauds is not a museum strictly in the mold of others. There is no rope to separate visitors from exhibits. People are invited to pose with the venue's famous look-alikes, whether they wish to rub shoulders with royal family members or play tennis with Li Na.

"Interactivity between visitors and wax figures gives consumers a better experience," said Wang.

Sculptors of the stars

Ahead of the museum's opening which coincides with Dragon Boat Festival, a couple of sculptors and painters were still adding the final touches to some wax models' heads. Arms and legs of the figures were eerily laid on the shelves, waiting to be assembled with their celebrities. The figures, all made in Britain, were exported to Beijing, with each costing about 150,000 pounds ($252,465).

Zoe Walton, studio manager of Madame Tussauds Sydney, led a team of local employees in assembling and decorating wax models in Beijing.

"If you love art and design, it is a wonderful job working here," said Walton, a Briton who has worked with the company for 15 years. Before making wax models, Walton studied art and design and worked in theater.

The process of making a wax model can take up to six months, requiring the efforts of a team of artists. "Ideally, we have a meeting with the celebrity, discussing the pose they are going to be seen in. Then we take hundreds of photographs in that pose as they stand on the turntable," Walton explained.

The team then takes measurements to ensure the wax model is a lifelike replica of its living celebrity. A palette of colors is mixed on site in accordance with hair and eye colors. All measurements and other specifications are taken back to the sculptor, who spends weeks creating the head and body of the model.

"Next, it goes to the molding department where the clay-sculpted figure is turned to a mold made in a fiberglass body and wax figure," Walton said.

After the eyes and teeth are fitted, hair is painstakingly thread using a needle over six weeks. The face is made of multiple wax layers featuring different hand-painted colors.

Finally, the model gets a quick makeover worthy of any celebrity by having their hair cut and styled, makeup applied and clothes fitted by staff from the museum's wardrobe department.

"Sometimes we are lucky to receive clothes donated by the stars themselves, while other times we work with the celebrity's designers or have clothes specially made," said Walton. "For historical figures, we have to source the correct items and do a lot of research."

Nailing ethnic aesthetics

Most of wax models are lifelike, but some Chinese sculptors believe Chinese faces made by Western artists are not realistic enough. They believe Western artists are better at mastering models of stars from their own culture, whose comparatively harder facial structures are easier to sculpt.

But Walton rejected this claim, saying Madame Tussauds' diverse team ensured consistency and accuracy in their wax models. "We try every possible way to make a figure, and we have artists of all different nationalities," she explained. "You can see the same for the Western figures. Some people say some look more realistic than others."

However, one pity for fans in Beijing is that there won't be a "horror section" depicting the gory history of how Marie Tussaud collected the heads of those executed and made wax models using them during the French Revolution (1789-99).

But the remarkable life story of Tussaud herself won't be missing at the Beijing museum. Visitors can learn how she mastered wax sculpture from Philippe Curtis, a medic skilled at replicating the textures and hues of human skin.

At the age of 17, Tussaud created her first wax figure of philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. She later served as the art tutor to King Louis XVI's sister Madame élisabeth at the Palace of Versailles. Tussauds narrowly evaded persecution during the revolution before eventually settling in England. In 1835, she acquired a permanent home on Baker Street in London for her waxworks. She died at 81 shortly after finishing her final work, a self-portrait.

Today, Tussauds' legacy at her namesake museums worldwide is managed by the Merlin Entertainments Group. The franchise's success has been in adapting its exhibits to local cultures, with an example of this Chinese celebrity models being exhibited exclusively at home. At each studio, market research is conducted to find out the most popular celebrities to cater exhibitions to visitors' tastes. Polls are important in determining the cast of waxworks.

Each day before the museum opens, staff spend hours inspecting all models. Their clothes are regularly washed and ironed to keep them "as perfect as the day they were made," said Walton.

So, which celebrity wax models are most adept at melting visitors' hearts? According to media reports, British actor Robert Pattinson was the most kissed waxwork of 2010. "The queen is always very popular. People love to sit on the throne. Johnny Depp is also popular everywhere around the world," said Walton, who painted the face of the actor's model in Beijing.