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Zong Zhengkai, a 17-year-old high school student in Hangzhou, devoted himself to modeling training for more than a year and won the IMC national runner-up. Demonstrating the strength of vocational high schools in developing international T-stage talents, he reduced his body fat by 10% through self-discipline.
At the national finals of the 32nd IMC Shanghai International Model Competition that ended last week, Zong Zhengkai, a second-year high school student who graduated from Hangzhou Qiaosi Vocational High School (hereinafter referred to as Qiaosi Vocational High School) in costume display, performed outstandingly and won the national runner-up. This 189 cm tall 17-year-old boy originally applied for the drone major in the third year of junior high school. After being spotted by an agency in the summer of 2025, he switched his career to studies. After training for just over a year, he became famous in a top competition called “The Cradle of China’s Supermodel”.
Facing 50 outstanding contestants from across the country competing on the same stage, Zong Zhengkai won over the judges with his excellent stage skills, camera sense and unique personal style. As a standard “E person”, he communicates well off stage and is confident and independent on stage. She admitted that in addition to good looks, self-confidence and personality are her trump cards: “Whether it’s the catwalk or Typhoon, everyone has their own characteristics, and there is no standard answer.”
Behind the glamor lies ultimate self-discipline. To prepare for the upcoming International Fashion Week interview, Zong Zhengkai increased her body fat rate from 15% to 10% in just one week. He shared that the secret of self-discipline is strict control over diet, work and rest; Sleep early and wake up early, eat less oil and less sugar, and eat “clean foods” such as vegetables and potatoes as main meals. She said that the modeling industry is not as easy as outsiders imagine, and body management, posture, and diet and exercise must be strictly implemented.
Currently, she has signed a contract with Firestone Model Company and aims to visit four major international fashion weeks. He also clearly emphasizes that at present he is concentrating on his studies and is actively preparing for the exam. She hopes to get admission into Donghua University or Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology for further studies in the future.
Zong Zhengkai’s success was no accident. Behind this was the unique “star-making team” and training system of Qiao Si Vocational High School. Chen Ming, the school’s professional instructor, said that the selection of models is based on “picking one out of ten thousand.” Apart from hard indicators like height and body fat percentage, a sense of identity and hard work is also important. To teach students as per their aptitude, the school independently developed “Face Recognition, Shape Face and Roop Chehra” app. Through the potential evaluation system of facial style, it accurately recommends the style situation and formulates curriculum for students, truly implementing “a plan for each person, a style for each person”.
As one of the earliest secondary vocational schools in China to offer general vocational integration classes in service and to see the leading, QOC Vocational High School has established a mature channel from secondary vocational schools to the international T-stage. Today, this system has given rise to many outstanding talents, including Ji Shuyan, who walked in global shows for Chanel and Prada, and Zhao Yuchen, who walked in the Dior Paris show. At present, more “Chinese faces” with oriental aesthetics are starting from here and moving towards the global fashion stage.
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He originally applied to major in drones in the third year of junior high school. She turned to modeling training after being spotted by an agency in the summer of 2025. Although he only studied for a little over a year, he won runner-up in the national competition with his height, stage steps and camera sense.
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Zong Zhengkai reduced his body fat from 15% to 10% in one week by strictly controlling his diet and work schedule. He emphasizes sleeping early and waking up early, eating less oil and sugar, and eating mainly vegetables, potatoes and other light “clean foods” as main meals.
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The school selects students based on height, body fat, facial recognition and sense of hard work, and develops a “Recognize, Shape and Form” app for style assessment and curriculum planning. It implements the one-person-one scheme and has trained many students who have participated in international shows.
