CHINA’S Internet saw an outpouring of support Tuesday for model Ming Xi, who apologized to the country for tripping on the catwalk during the fi rst-ever Victoria’s Secret fashion show held in the country.

Xi, who was born Xi Mengyao, went down after stepping on the train of her fl owing costume during the show in her hometown Shanghai.

The spotlight was on participants like Xi after Victoria’s Secret chose a record eight Chinese-origin models for the annual show — which is broadcast in over 190 countries — as it seeks to break into the country’s growing lingerie market.

But Xi was the only one of the 55 models in the show to suffer the occupational hazard of falling on the catwalk, in what quickly became one of the top-trending items on China’s Twitter-like Weibo.

“I’m sorry to let everyone down. Thanks for everyone’s concern,” Xi, 28, said on Weibo. “As a model for seven years, I have fallen on this road many times, but I know no matter how painful it is, I must stand and fi nish. The future road is long. I will always continue walking.”

Chinese netizens praised Xi for getting up, straightening the elabo-rate fl oral-themed decorative frame on her back and fi nishing her walk.

“My heart broke watching that. But Ming is still pretty! Go girl!” said one of thousands of Weibo comments.

(SD-Agencies)

THE star-studded, super-hyped Victoria’s Secret lingerie show hit the catwalk in Shanghai on Monday, the fi rst time the

U.S. brand has held its self-described “sexiest show on earth” outside the United States or Europe.

The biggest viral story from the annual show was the runway tumble — and grace-ful smiling recovery — of Chinese model Xi Mengyao, also known as Ming Xi.

Xi’s fall was just the latest of many bumps in the road for the show.

The eyebrow-raising ticket also made a splash on social media before the show. Victoria’s Secret said on its offi cial Weibo account that the show was invitation-only and there was no way to buy tickets. But in September, a Chinese fashion website said it could provide access to tickets. Each ticket would cost 168,000 yuan (US$25,300). And a listing on Taobao, China’s leading e-commerce website, was selling a ticket at a whooping 300,000 yuan.

The stumbles continued Monday night at Shanghai’s Mercedes-Benz arena, whose exterior was bathed in garish pink. A system breakdown slowed the entry of the thousands of invited guests, delaying the show’s start, and the Chinese crowd largely resisted entreaties to show much enthusiasm.

But in China the show, which airs Nov. 28, made its greatest splash long before its models took to the runway Monday: A televised reality competition similar to the “America’s Next Top Model” fran-chise selected the eighth Chinese model to walk in the show. “Road to the Runway” was hosted by Xi — already a success-ful model and Victoria’s Secret veteran — and was streamed on Tencent Video and IQiyi.

It whittled down a group of 30 long-

legged, d e w y -

faced young Chinese women, many with years of modeling experience under their belt, to one winner.

The fi nal episode of the show was a cliffhanger, with two fi nalists—20-year-old One (Wan Yi) and 20-year-old Cris-tian (Chu Yitian). Victoria’s Secret chief marketing offi cer Edward Razek told

viewers they’d have to watch the actual runway show Nov. 28 to fi nd out who the winner was. Of

course, expecting people to wait is naïve in the age of social media: The cherubic-faced One revealed herself to be the winner through selfi e videos she took while sitting backstage in hair-and-makeup at

the show.Victoria’s Secret eventually deigned

to bestow its blessings upon eight Chinese women — Ming Xi, He Sui, Liu Wen, Ju Xiaowen, Xie Xin, Pei Shu, Estelle Chen (who is Chinese French), and the reality show winner Wan Yi. This is a fi rst, and has been heralded as a move toward diversity by the media.

Even so, not a single one — not even 28-year-old Xi, who has walked fi ve shows for the brand — has been anointed an “Angel,” a coveted contract that, in return for steadier work and more com-mitments, has helped models like Tyra Banks, Adriana Lima, and Karlie Kloss become household names.

Victoria’s Secret is a latecomer to the lucrative lingerie market in China: Italian luxury label La Perla opened up shop on the mainland in 2006 and British luxury brand Agent Provocateur entered the market in 2013, while Victoria’s Secret, a mid-market brand, didn’t open a fl agship until the end of 2016.

The company has plenty to gain from a higher profi le in China. Its yearly runway extravaganza, complete with pop stars, paparazzi, and herds of infl uencers and street photographers, is the most-watched international fashion event of the year, but last year, the show fi lmed in the Grand Palais of Paris, France, drew in a mid-dling 6.65 million viewers — less than the population of China’s 19th largest city. This year, with “Road to the Runway” building expectations, Victoria’s Secret is banking on higher numbers. (SD-Agencies)

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Victoria's Secret charms China with fashion gala

China lifts up model who fell on VS catwalk

Xi Mengyao falls on the catwalk Monday in Shanghai. SD-Agencies

Super model Karlie Kloss.

(From L) Super models Leomie Anderson and Liu Wen, Alessandra Ambrosio, Bella Hadid and Candice Swanepoel in the 2017 Victoria’s Secret lingerie show in Shanghai on Monday. SD-Agencies