For 24-year-old Hao Lulu, beauty is more than just skin deep.

In the past five months, the formerly plain-looking Beijing woman underwent a series of cosmetic surgeries to remold a dozen parts of her body.

They were aimed at creating double eyelids, enhancing the nose bridge, removing wrinkles from the neck, enlarging breasts and uplifting buttocks -- all in the hope of turning herself into a stunning beauty.

Face-lift operations are not unusual in China, but Hao has put herself in the media limelight not only by the scale and complication of the operations, but also the high cost involved -- 300,000 yuan (US$36,000) -- an amount unheard of among those in pursuit of a more pleasant appearance.

Yet, as the process comes to an end, Hao finds it all worthwhile.

"The most important is that I have become more confident in myself with a prettier appearance," she was quoted by China News Service as saying.

Born and brought up in Beijing, Hao graduated from the China University of Geosciences at the age of 19, and studied jewellery design in the United Kingdom for three years

She now works as a freelance fashion writer and self-employed jewellery appraiser and dealer.

The overseas experience made her an admirer of Western lifestyle: She drinks afternoon tea, watches modern dramas and listens to Western operas. She has more than 100 pairs of shoes and more than 100 handbags.

And she attaches great importance to physical appearance.

"If a woman could have good food, great fun and a beautiful face, she would have nothing to regret," Hao said.

That explains why she decided to embark on the six-month journey which involved risky surgery on the lower cheek bones and painful side effects, despite strong opposition from her parents.

The surgery was divided into four phases -- the longest lasting a month and the shortest two weeks. "All the doctors are excellent cosmetic surgeons in China," said Zhou Gang, leader of Hao's surgical team and honorary president of Evercare, a Beijing cosmetic surgery hospital.

Every phase started and ended with a physical check-up to make sure that Hao was fit enough for the next step, said the doctor, adding that the team was ready to deal with any possibility.

"We considered possible problems and corresponding plans to deal with them."

The "Beauty Dreamworks Project", however, was by no means uncontroversial.

While admitting that it was Hao's personal choice to remodel herself, some social scientists have expressed worries that the sole emphasis on physical beauty by the media would confuse traditional aesthetic standards.

"Feminine beauty takes many forms, such as intellect, benevolence and care," said sociologist Liu Bohong.

"If a woman could understand that beauty consists of many facets, she would not so easily resort to the scalpel."

(China Daily November 10, 2003)