Zhang Zilin (张梓琳), a 23-year-old secretary (and model) from People’s Republic of China was crowned as Miss World 2007 on Dec 1 in Sanya, China.

Miss World 2007 – Zhang Zilin from China (Image courtesy of Xinhuanet)

The final of this 57th Miss World contest was held in the Crown of Beauty Theater, Sanya, Hainan Province on Saturday night (Dec 1). Zhang Zilin was the eventual winner among 106 contestants and became the first ever Chinese to win the Miss World title.

Zhang’s victory also meant that Asians have won both major global beauty pageant contest – Miss World and Miss Universe in 2007. Riyo Mori, a 21-year-old Japanese was crowned as Miss Universe 2007 in May.

(Image courtesy of The Jakarta Post)

Some 50 protesters from an anti-pornography alliance against Mori’s arrival rallied outside the Savoy Homan Hotel, prompting the Miss Universe team to take her back to Jakarta.

Since August 2, Mori has been in Indonesia on a 10-day visit arranged by the Miss Universe Organization and the Miss Indonesia organizing committee for charity activity.

The 20-year-old beauty queen is the second Japanese contestant to have won a Miss Universe pageant after Akiko Kojima in 1959.