Job interviews are a part of models' lives, but many interviews are often arranged in the suburbs of major cities. Models often travel together and share information about their experiences with agencies to protect themselves.

"Most models have been cheated at some point in their career. People will claim they belong to some entertainment agency and ask for our documents and photos for before discussing a particular job," Dang says.

"They say that they want to see some naked photos to check your body. But oftentimes those pictures will wind up in some porn sites."

Dang says one of her friends was on a business trip for an auto show and found her photo on a small card advertising sexual services. The cards had been placed into hotel rooms. "She was angry and called the number and said she wanted to talk to the girl in the photo. But the man who answered the phone claimed the woman was out of town."

Hopes and future

Sun said she likes modeling because through her work she gets the opportunity to meet people from other professions. "My company will arrange two exchanges to Singapore and the United States for me this year. And I plan to stay in the US longer to study English. It is preparation for the day that I withdraw from the modeling circle," she said.

Sun jokes that she's already getting old for a model, since girls born after 2000 are already getting into the industry.

"Honestly speaking, I still have no idea what I'm going to do when I quit my job. Some of my model friends are working part time as purchasing representatives for Weixin, a social media platform. I also do part-time work as I have friends in Germany, and they help me purchase local facial masks and other healthcare products," Sun says.

"I know a lot about fashion and jewelry, so luxury-goods management may be a suitable job for me."

Sun says earning a lot of money isn't very important to her, and she wants to do something that will allow her to contribute to society.

Han Junhong contributed to this story.