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Qin Shupei had little interest in clothes until shewas spotted by a modeling scout on the streets ofNew York. The former student from Henan provinceis now the darling of the international fashion jet-set, but for her it's just one, long holiday. Gan Tianreports.

Qin Shupei is a Chinese model whose face isrecognized internationally as she appears incampaigns and on catwalks across the globe.

The 23-year-old has modeled for high-end labelsChanel and Victoria's Secret, making her one offashion's top faces. She is a favorite of KarlLagerfeld, Marc Jacobs, and Vera Wang. Her stylehas been imitated on and off the runway byfashionistas and paparazzi.

People would take it for granted that this youngsupermodel is wild like Kate Moss, or a diva in themold of Naomi Campbell, but Qin is neither.

She is cheerful and easy-going. Walking into thehotel for the interview, the supermodel wasteaching her co-workers to speak Shanghai dialectand telling jokes.

Qin says she considers herself a nice and friendly "girl next door", not a cold and difficultsupermodel.

A recent job for e-commerce platform FASHIONand.com involved a series of photo shoots. Qinposed in three different locations: a beach, a cafe, and a living room.

"I think they want me just because I match the image of their brand: warm and casual I didn'tfeel like I was doing a job, but enjoying a vacation," Qin says with a laugh.

Unlike models who were passionate about fashion since they were very young, Qin admits sheknew nothing about the industry until she started modeling. At school she cared little aboutwhat she wore.

"But, hey, I was in New York, the city of fashion!" She says, adding that the city has given hernumerous opportunities.

Qin, from China's Henan province, was a long distance runner when she was very young. In2006, she was sent by her parents to study at a high school in New York. She was walkingthrough the city's Soho neighborhood one day when a scout approached her, asking if shewould be interested in doing a part-time modeling job.

The inexperienced student thought she had met a con artist, so she googled his name, andfound he was from Next Model Management, one of the biggest modeling agencies in the world.

Short of pocket money, Qin decided to give it a try - and so her career began. She had beenspotted just in time for auditions for the 2009 Spring/Summer New York Fashion Week, andQin, without any experience, was asked to audition for various A-list fashion brands.

She appeared in 22 shows that Fashion Week, including Lacoste and Ports 1961, with fashionmedia dubbing her the "dark horse of the international runway".

"At that time, I thought I could only make one or two shows, and that was enough New YorkFashion Week was some place I thought I could not reach," Qin says, pointing to the ceiling.

Qin again strutted the catwalk at 2013 Spring/Summer New York Fashion Week, but this timeas an established supermodel. She appeared in shows for top-tier brands such as DKNY,Diane von Furstenberg and Michael Kors.

Qin says making it in the industry sometimes means living by the maxim, "no pain, no gain". Sherecalls a time when New York had a big snowfall during fashion week.

"There was no one in the cold streets outside, except models in high heels like us," Qin says.

In January 2012, Qin married Zhao Lei, general manager of Huayi Brothers Fashion Group.Wearing a wedding gown from Vera Wang, the bride invited her best friends to witness her tiethe knot in Australia. Guests included celebrities Wang Xiaofei, Barbie Hsu, Lisa S and DanielWu.

Qin returned to work after the wedding, flying around the world to attend fashion shows andshoots for advertising campaigns. She considers her job an opportunity to explore the world.

"I went to Slovenia in Europe for a photo shoot some time ago. If I was not a model, I wouldnever have a chance to go to this country in my whole life," she says.

She considers herself lucky to be involved in the fast-paced fashion industry, especially inChina.

"The country's booming economy, the rise of Asian designers in the world, the appearance ofother Chinese models, and those twists and turns in the interviews all of these have madetoday's Qin Shupei," she says.