Larissa Scotting, 17, from the UK dances with her escort on Saturday night at the first Shanghai International Debutante Ball. She was named Debutante of the Year. [Photos by Gao Erqiang / China Daily]

Zithers and dumplings

But there is a problem: Although she interviewed scores of young women in opulent Yangtze River areas over the past year, she found not one on the mainland who met the conditions for an invitation: Age 17 to 25, competence in English and, preferably, from a family that has contributed to society in a certain way.

"The reason the first ball has no participants from the Chinese mainland is that we didn't find a suitable one," Zhou said. "We would rather go with nobody than someone shoddy, as we know how good people are at digging out others' pasts nowadays."

Zhou, who has a married son in his 30s, defined the perfect debutante as someone "every mother would like her son to marry, but not every son could get".

"Ideally, I would want someone who can stand out as a Chinese zither player or a deft embroiderer, which I think are the most basic skills of Chinese fine ladies, besides a clean (upstanding) family and good upbringing. However, as it turned out, I cannot even find someone who can make dumplings."

Lots of bachelors

Zhou did select two of the debutantes, one each from Hong Kong and Taiwan. Meanwhile, Hallam-Peel and Woodall handpicked the rest, one Polish and 10 British women, most the daughters of engineers, doctors or graphic designers.

The Asian debs have backgrounds most closely resembling those of traditional debutantes. Vivien Lee, a bubbly 22-year-old from Hong Kong, attended a top private girls school, Benenden in Kent, England, and was the UK's Undergraduate of 2010 when she graduated from Cambridge University.

Zhou described Jen Hau, 22-year-old daughter of the mayor of Taipei, as "the surprise" of the ball - a surprise because her father is a politician.

Hunting for escorts for the debs proved easy. The most recognizable name among the 13 was Tom Savernake, a viscount and the future heir to the Marquess of Ailesbury. The others were "talented gentlemen" from England, Germany, France and Hong Kong.

"It turned out there are more bachelors than I expected in the city," Zhou said Saturday night. "And they are all showing a keen interest in the ball. One recommended another and, finally, they are all here."

The young women had their own reasons to attend.

"How often does a girl get to dress up with a white gown and dance at such a fabulous ball, apart from her own wedding?" Hau said.

Lee, who works in equity derivatives marketing at J.P. Morgan, didn't tell her colleagues what she was up to when she took annual leave for the ball. She said she wanted to keep a low profile.