View of a restaurant offering free meals to customers who earn high marks for their looks in Zhengzhou city, central Chinas Henan province, 11 January 2015.

A new “Pay by Face” promotion at a hot pot restaurant in Zhengzhou, Henan province offers free meals to people who earn top marks for their looks, as assessed by a council of employees from a local plastic surgery clinic. Customers going for the free meals have to scan their face, an image of which is then sent to a team of “specialists” who judge their mugs, based on a detailed scoring rubric, as the patrons dine. The top five good-looking folk who have achieved the highest scores in 30 minutes will be offered a meal for free. The scoring standards are publicly displayed on the second floor of this restaurant.