Tv host and fashion icon who introduced china to the world

Yue-Sai Kan broke the mold with her '80s travel show before launching an inspirational cosmetics line EXPORTING HOMEGROWN FASHION In the early 1980s, Kan looked different with her

lipstick and self-styled hairdo in the eyes of Chinese women. But today, in her eyes, Chinese women look modern, and they no longer dress differently to Western women. Kan said China has

changed a lot, as now its manufacturers are up-to-date. For years, they worked for brands from other countries, such as France and Italy. Today, she said, Chinese companies have their own

brands. "Because they're so used to producing goods for the outside world, they know well what the outside world is asking for. All of a sudden, you see a lot of brands coming out

of China that are quite chic," Kan said. To bring Chinese fashion to the West and introduce emerging designers and artists to the US, Kan created the China Fashion Gala in New York. The

past three galas have highlighted couture designer Guo Pei, fashion photographer Chen Man and designer Grace Chen, to name a few. Funds raised through the gala are used for scholarships for

Chinese students to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. Kan's own charity has also built schools and libraries, and provided scholarships to underprivileged

students in high schools and universities in China, including in her native Guilin, where she lived until she was 2 years old. Her family first moved to Hong Kong and then the US. In March,

she returned for the first time to where she was born, a Qing Dynasty-style building called Yanshan Garden, which has been made into a picturesque park. Kan said she was happy to see the

development that has taken place in her hometown and across China. "The next period for China will be extraordinary. President Xi Jinping will be able to fulfill his mission, fulfill

his vision, too," she said, referring to China's goal to become a moderately well-off country by 2020 as well as Xi's commitment at the Boao Asia Forum on China to further

opening-up. "I'd bet on China," she said.