Thirty-two contestants of Chinese descent traveled from countries across the globe to White Plains, New York, for day one of the NTD Global Chinese Beauty Pageant on Sunday. The contestants had each earned the chance to compete, and to present their understanding of traditional Chinese culture and values.
The event marks the start of a new era in the beauty pageant industry. The organizers say they believe this pageant stands out from others because it advocates the pure truthfulness, goodness, and beauty of a traditional Chinese woman.
The pageant aims to promote the aesthetic values found in traditional Chinese culture, while pushing for a return to pure beauty.
Some contestants shared why they wanted to be in the pageant.
“I’ve always been interested in classical, traditional Chinese culture,” said contestant Fiona Ji, from Canada. “But growing up in the west—I was born and raised in Toronto—you don’t get as many opportunities to come into contact with this type of traditional culture.
“So when I heard about this pageant, I thought that it was such a unique and special opportunity to learn more about my heritage and improve myself as a woman and as a person.”
Leah Pan from Sydney, Australia, shared the importance of traditional values in her life.
“I think it is a truly iconic moment for a lot of people to come here and represent the true traditional values of China and what our culture is all about,” she said. “And I think inner beauty is all about what we see in ourselves, and what we see in other people as well.”
The 32 contestants will ultimately compete for a chance to be crowned Miss NTD, with the winner receiving the Phoenix crown. The crown includes five blue gemstones and a number of freshwater pearls. The different stones represent traditional virtues and purity.
The pageant organizers say it’s critical to return to pure beauty in today’s world.
“We have all noticed that in the past couple of decades, the definition or the concept of beauty and aesthetics has been declining dramatically,” said Richard Yin, deputy general manager of the NTD Global Chinese Beauty Pageant.
Mr. Yin said that in today’s society, people have forgotten what true beauty is. He said that this has changed people’s views on what is beautiful, which is negatively impacting our entire society—as well as future generations.
The finals and crowning ceremony will be this Saturday, Sept. 30, at SUNY Performing Arts Center in Purchase, New York.
For tickets and more information, visit MissNTD.org
Tickets are now on sale at 929-999-1168 or online here.
