It's big business! Who knew?
finance.yahoo.com/[...]

Ha.Ha.

www.examiner.com/[...]

Maybe someone should start a Rent-a Foreigner in Kunming officially. We would make a mint, no? Ha.Ha.

Although some might see this as easy money and a bit of a giggle, it is just a sham/scam. I would never do anything that I would later have to justify.
I was once asked to pretend to be working for a foreign bank who is investing in a real estate development. All I had to do was show up to an investors meeing in a suit. This was a big national company who have a large presence in Kunming. In essence I was being asked to participate in deception.
I have also heard of people being asked to impersonate foreign doctors in a local hospital. Basically, walking around in a white coat.

Yes, easy money for a day or two, but I have to ask myself if I wish to sell my integrity for 1-2000 rmb. The answer is a clear no.

There are at least several model agents operating in Kunming, I believe they also provide foreigners for this kind of real estate promotion events.

I always find those types of events, let's say interesting. I cannot imagine anyone in my home country buying an apartment because there was a foreigner, maybe a Chinese, at the promotion event. I'd even say that people would be less likely to buy, because of people of colour in the neighbourhood.

Such events, and anything that involves having a (western) foreigner there just to show that they can have a 'western' foreigner there, are called 'monkey shows' by westerners here.

www.nytimes.com/[...]

Aya. I initially thought this was an article on foreign gigolos...(male entertainers). My bad...

No Gigolos but prostitution just the same.

Like was stated above - How much are you willing to sell yourself for - to deceive others for money.

keep in mind,that it is kind of condescending to assume that chinese guest, coming to those (agreed) monkey shows are stupid, innocent and gullible enough, to not know what is going on.

i have been to a few of them and they have been great fun and most agencies would never ask, or force you to lie about who you really are.

i have been to a real estate one and i was a test driver for the new jetta. people interested, would never be stupid enough to ask you about the real estates value, or how the jetta's ESP or GPS responded to china's dirt roads.

some event manager decides, it would be fun to have foreigners around? to mingle and chitchat and that's it.

nobody there get's scammed, to buy or sell anything,coz there is a white face. it's just modelling for less beautiful people.....at least in my case.

it.s live show advertisement. or do people think, that people advertisings on tv are professionals?...or some actor or model blokes?

only exception i know of, is Dr. Best, the toothbrush dude.

I have also been asked to appear at business meetings. The video in the OP also has people appearing as engineers for the real estate developer. Perhaps less serious is the guy posing as a previous contestant of America's Top Model.
Further examples of sham.