Next stop, world peace

Yu Wenxia, 23, was a music student at the Harbin Normal University College of Music before she won Miss Tourism in Harbin, a local beauty pageant. She then competed to become China’s entry to the Miss World beauty pageant, which was held last week.

Why is she in the news?

Yu beat 115 other contestants to become China’s second winner of the Miss World title, after Zhang Zilin in 2007. According to CCTV, she won the judges over with a moving rendition of a Chinese folk song during the competition. Mind you, they were hardly likely to admit that she looked rather thrilling in her swim suit. “When I was young I felt very lucky because so many people helped me, and I hope in the future I can help more children to feel lucky,” said Yu, impressively on-message when asked why she should be crowned.

Netizens less impressed?

Some of the online opinion was typically barbed, with the view that Yu’s face is “too wide”. But others agreed that Yu’s looks were “natural” and “much better than all the fake faces [from plastic surgery]”. Others complimented her as “intelligent” and “presentable”.

This year’s Miss World event was hosted in Erdos, Inner Mongolia. The city, which sits around 700 kilometres from the nearest beach, is hardly known for its glamour – AFP called it a “sandstorm-afflicted backwater”. But no matter, the city has grown rich on the back of a coal mining boom (see WiC71) and was hoping the Miss World event would help raise its international profile.

© ChinTell Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sponsored by HSBC.

The Week in China website and the weekly magazine publications are owned and maintained by ChinTell Limited, Hong Kong. Neither HSBC nor any member of the HSBC group of companies ("HSBC") endorses the contents and/or is involved in selecting, creating or editing the contents of the Week in China website or the Week in China magazine. The views expressed in these publications are solely the views of ChinTell Limited and do not necessarily reflect the views or investment ideas of HSBC. No responsibility will therefore be assumed by HSBC for the contents of these publications or for the errors or omissions therein.