2003, the first pageant year in China?

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, November 15, 2003

2003, the first pageant year in China?

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110 beauties in the world gathered in Sanya, Hainan province on November 11 to attend the final of the 53rd Miss World competition to be held early in December. Insiders say that the year 2003 is the first year of beauty contests in China. Miss World competition unveils the pageant on China's mainland.

To say 2003 is the first pageant year in China not only because the Miss World competition is China's first beauty contest in its real sense, but also because a series of beauty contests really make people feel overwhelmed. The top three pageants in the world, Miss Universe, Miss International and Miss World, all take place in China; "Miss China" sponsored by the Phoenix TV, the first Miss China Pageant, Miss Shanghai, China World Model Competition, International Advertising Model Competition came one after another.

The craze in pageant is on one hand due to people's nature to pursue beauty and social and economic development makes it possible for this pursuit and enriches its contents. On the other hand, under the market economy, pageant becomes a medium, and the beauty economy is prospering.

However, opinions on pageants in China differ greatly and trigger heated debates due to ideological and other reasons. Most sponsors of pageants appear not so bold or make alternative names, trying to avoid the wording "pageant."

According to relevant information, beauty contests among common Chinese people originated from the prostitution circle. There was "flower board" evaluating prostitutes dating back to the Xining period (1068-1077)of North Song Dynasty (960-1127) in Bianjing (today Kaifeng city in Henan Province), several hundred years earlier than the "World Pageant" in the Western world. In 1946, Hong Kong selected "Miss Hong Kong". In 1989, Guangzhou hosted "Beauty in Flower City" advertising new star competition, which was regarded as the first pageant on China's hinterland. In the same year, the New Silk Road Model Competition started. In 2001, China took part in the 51st Miss World competition for the first time.

Domestic economists summarize pageant as four wins. First, the audience are happy to see beauties; second, pageant helps boost the upstream economy for it needs the cooperation from peripheral industries; third, pageant promotes the fame of the sponsors and their supporters, and thus makes their products more popular; and fourth, pageant cultivates the temperament of the contestants propelling the development of culture industry.

How Chinese people view pageants can be seen from the net questionnaire conducted by portal web sites Sohu and Sina. According to the latest statistics, 27 percent of the netizens regard pageant as a demand for the development of the market economy and 75 percent of the netizens support China to take part in international pageants.

However, opponents maintain that China's "pageant economy" is of a low level, and the beauty economy in China is going unchecked. From the cultural perspective, beauty is also able to mislead people.

In fact, as a market behavior, pageant must first comply with market rules. Miss World put forward 20 years ago "purposefully beautiful" as the theme, giving up swimsuit competition, intensifying the examination of the ability and intelligence of the contestants and encouraging participation in charity and peace causes. In line with the trend, Miss World wins understanding and attention among more people of different races and beliefs. To date, Miss World has won franchising license in over 140 countries and become a successful commercial pageant institution.

Shao Zhong, famous columnist in Hong Kong and member of the evaluation committee of the 53rd Miss World competition in China, said that Miss World held in China indicates that China's image and economic development win attention and respect from the international community. Miss World held in China for the first time is a symbol of China's reform, opening-up and going international. China is welcoming the world to know China in a more open way. In the meantime, the competition can enhance the popularity of Sanya and Hainan as a whole, thus promote the local tourism industry.

Sources say that the final of Miss International is scheduled to be held in Shanghai next year. It is foreseeable that China will embrace more pageant events. With Miss World held in China, governments and enterprises concerned should learn more about international pageant rules, improve the operation system of pageant for a healthy, orderly development of pageants and a "beauty economy" in China.

By PD Online staff Gao Lanrong

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