A model to follow

Li Bing

2001 witnessed the debut of Chinese beauty on the international pageant stage. Li Bing, who was then an 18-year-old high school student from Jiangxi province, was crowned as the third runner-up, as well as Asian Beauty Queen, at the 51st Miss World beauty pageant, held in South Africa. The 1.77-meter-tall, part-time model participated in the beauty pageant through the New Silk Road Model Company.

The crowning of Li sparked interest among other Chinese women to show off their beauty on the global stage. It also attracted the attention of pageant organizers to include the mainland as one of its many sub-pageant zones in following years. Unlike many of her successors, Li kept a low profile after the contest, reduced publicity to a minimum and achieved a business management postgraduate degree at Lancaster University.