Yue-Sai Kan, television icon, cosmetics entrepreneur, beauty advisor, etiquette teacher, lifestyle trendsetter and philanthropist, is now working to make China a contender for the Miss Universe title.

As National Director of Miss Universe China, Kan has made it her priority to conquer what she calls “the Olympics of Beauty”. Although China has sent representatives to the international pageant since 2002, the country has yet to produce a winner. Kan is confident that with the proper training and support, Chinese women can become formidable candidates for the coveted crown.

Ever since she launched her cosmetics line in 1992, Kan has been the face of beauty in China. Her hairdo and makeup style have become engraved in the imagination of millions of women. Frustrated in her own search for cosmetics suitable for Asian skin tones, she produced a line that filled that market gap. Soon, a bright tube of lipstick, now universally known as Yue-Sai Red, sparked the re-emergence of colour on modern China’s female faces, a fortuitous coincidence in a country where the colour symbolises prosperity and joy.

In tandem with the cosmetics venture, the intrepid Chinese-American boosted her efforts to help Asian women feel confident about their appearance by writing eight books including Yue-Sai’s Guide to Asian Beauty, How to Be Beautiful and The Complete Chinese Woman.

On an afternoon in early April, TALK met with Kan in her capacious apartment in Shanghai to discuss her latest project. Her much-copied Dutch bob has changed to a shorter cut with feathery bangs, and now she sports a longer hairdo with subtle brown highlights. (China Post may have to update her postage stamp again.) Time has been kind to her porcelain complexion and slender figure. As she discusses her training plans for Miss China 2011, she relaxes her black-sheathed body on her sofa. A narrow, red tube scarf frames her face, but the signature red lipstick has been toned down to a neutral shade.

“I’m a glutton for work,” she says half-jokingly. It’s true – the list of her accomplishments attests to a strong work ethic, tenacity and ability to overcome obstacles. In 1984, when she was asked by the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States to provide English commentary for the live broadcast of the celebrations for the 35th Anniversary of the People’s Republic of China, she had only three days to prepare. She triumphed, having made a quick study of the military branches participating in the two-hour show, and interpreting the back stories of the cryptic banners displayed on numerous floats in the parade. “Thankfully the Chinese Embassy provided a translation of Deng Xiaoping’s speech,” she recalls.

Impressed by that performance, the Chinese government gave her a mandate to produce a TV series, One World, but provided no funding. No matter, she went out and got sponsors and produced the show, which became a hit. Essentially a travelogue, the 104-episode show gave the Chinese glimpses of famous sites and slices of life around the world. “At that time, there was only one CCTV channel, which provided five hours of programming a day. So you can imagine the impact!”

Surprisingly, the authorities gave her a virtual carte blanche on the content, although they previewed the segments and could veto sponsors. “There were only two objections,” she recounts. “I had to cut out a part showing nude sunbathers in Denmark. However, I argued that a segment on Nobel Prize winners, including Mother Teresa in Rome, was essential.” That part stayed in. Another contretemps occurred when she informed Beijing that she had landed Procter and Gamble as a sponsor. “We don’t allow gambling,” retorted the authorities. They had to be reassured that P&G only sold household necessities, like soap, shampoo and laundry detergent.

Born in Guilin while her family was on vacation, growing up in Hong Kong helped Kan prepare for a career based upon bridging the cultures of East and West. She did not arrive in the United States until she was 16, when she began music studies at the Hawaii campus of Brigham Young University. In 1972, she visited her sister in New York City and decided to stay.

Her first foray into television was as a volunteer at a Chinese-language cable station. Realising the power of the medium, she soon set up her own company, producing and hosting Looking East. The program, which started airing in 1978, introduced choice aspects of eastern cultures. It attracted a discerning audience and was noticed by the right people, including Mike Wallace of CBS, himself the celebrated host of 60 Minutes. Looking East aired for 12 years, the last two on the Discovery Channel.

One World, plus the subsequent ABC-TV, Emmy-award winning documentary China Walls and Bridges gave Kan international attention and credibility. TIME proclaimed her “the Queen of the Middle Kingdom”; People chimed in, calling her “the most famous woman in China”.