As you browse Taobao you may be curious where their fashion photography comes from. Who exactly are these foreigners modeling for Chinese companies?

Pat Lisa is one of them (pictured above). She hails from Slovakia and is one of the top contract models for a fashion photography company. She’s one on a roster of some 100 foreign models that come from 20 countries including Brazil, Ireland, and Finland. As their top model, Lisa earns about RMB 2,000 a day, reports MSN.

The pictures come from fashion photography firms that are contracted by companies like Maoshan Clothing of Tongxiang, Zhejiang Province. Having grown rapidly, Maoshan is in constant need of models. In 2013, the company sold 60% of China’s woolen garments for RMB 2.3 billion.

Working conditions for a model are not always ideal, however, despite the pay. A model working a single day with photographer Wang Ji may be asked to change clothes more than 200 times.

Here are photos from a recent shoot where Lisa plys her trade:

RMB 2,000 a day is still is not the upper limit to what a model can earn in China. By contrast, male model Chris from Brazil earns RMB 2,000 an hour.

The salaries beat teaching English, that’s for sure.

Related:

• Guangzhou Crackdown on Foreign Models Without Proper Visas
• Brazilian Model Falls to Her Death in Apparent Suicide in Guangzhou
• Photos: Shenzhen Lingerie Supermodel Contest

Photos: MSN