The 19-year-old Davison — daughter of Chris De Burgh, the singer best known for his 1986 hit "Lady in Red" — accepted her tiara with minimum fuss, waving calmly to the audience as the other contestants hugged and kissed her while gold confetti were fired out of a mock cannon.

"I was just so thrilled about being placed in the top five," she said afterward, grinning broadly. "I didn't think I'd get this far."

"I'm seriously proud of her," said De Burgh of his daughter, who wore a fuschia dress for the competition.

The contestants' bright smiles never faltered as they sashayed and twirled across the stage in outfits of every hue during the tightly scheduled two-hour event which marked China's entry into the beauty pageant scene.

The competition will be held again in China next year, although the city hasn't been decided, said Miss World President Julia Morley.

"Why not China again? There's so much to see here, there's so much to do," Morley said. "Already it's placed Sanya on the map, and now we have to look to see whether we continue going down that road or look for a new place to develop."

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