SINGAPORE - Historically, each culture has had its share of beautiful faces.

Greek mythology had Helen of Troy whose legendary face sank a thousand ships; Egypt had both Cleopatra and Nefertiti, whose striking silhouette with the long graceful neck still adorns many a plastic surgeon's clinic; while China had its four famous beauties. They are Xi Shi (whose beauty caused fish to forget how to swim), Wang Zhaojun (whose looks caused birds to fall from the sky), Diaochan (whose face caused the moon to retreat into the night so as not to compete with her luminescence) and Yang Guifei (whose beauty put all flowers to shame).