On the evening of January 5, 2024, the grand finals of the 2023 Miss China Chongqing International Pageant, themed "Chongqing Beauty, Global Trends," took place in Yuzhong District, Chongqing. It marked Chongqing's first international fashion extravaganza of 2024.
The collective presence of the contestants of the 2023 Miss China Chongqing International Pageant. (Photo/The event organizer)
Upgrading the brand
In the context of vigorously expanding domestic demand and upgrading consumption, in 2023, Chongqing Daily News Group upgraded the IP of the Miss Chongqing Contest, which has a history of 13 years, and settled the event in Yuzhong.
The upgraded contest, co-organized with the "World Night" cultural and tourism consumer brand activity, aims to enhance Chongqing's international level, accelerate its building into a world-renowned tourist destination and an international consumption hub, and improve Yuzhong's reputation as a national all-for-one tourism demonstration area and a national cultural and tourism consumption model city.
The event also plays a beneficial role in expanding the "beauty economy," stimulating cultural and tourism fashion consumption, and promoting positive and healthy concepts among women.
The vibrant opening show, Musical Youth. (Photo/The event organizer)
All-inclusive, fashionable expressions
Since its launch in March 2023, the 2023 Miss China Chongqing International Pageant has garnered widespread attention.
After the two-month online recruitment, over 600 talented and beautiful girls took auditions. The five special auditions garnered citywide attention in May, with the hashtag #MissChinaChongqingInternationalPageantShowcasingCityElegance# trending on Weibo.
The event became a popular cultural and tourism extravaganza in Chongqing, expanding its influence to the whole country. In December, the semifinals triggered a fever throughout the city, elevating everyone's expectations to the fullest and attracting participation from foreign countries for the final round.
In the Dynamic and Vibrant Fashion Show, foreign contestants enthusiastically interacted with the audience on-site. (Photo/The event organizer)
Youthful Swimwear Show
At the finals, contestants from Russia, Belarus, Brazil, Colombia, and Italy showcased their passion for Yuzhong's culture and tourism and Chongqing's cultural heritage. Together with the Chinese participants, they painted a collective narrative of Yuzhong's and Chongqing's stories, showcasing Yuzhong's status as an international fashion landmark and a global fashion runway, shaping Chongqing's unique image as a "calling card of beauty."
Chinese and foreign contestants joined hands to present a fashionable costume show for Yuzhong. (Photo/The event organizer)
The competition rules were updated to empower Yuzhong's "beauty economy continuously"
The 2023 Miss China Chongqing International Pageant employed new competition rules that valued cultural and tourism promotion and online communication. By doing so, it aimed to innovate and promote the integrated development of culture, tourism, and performing arts, boost Yuzhong's nighttime economy and beauty economy, and contribute to Yuzhong's building into a world-renowned tourist destination and an international fashion hub.
Since December 2023, the contestants have visited the "charming streets and alleys" and trendy venues in Yuzhong as "Miss Chongqing Recommenders" and interacted with the public both online and offline. They posted videos about their exciting travel, playing, and shopping experiences on platforms such as Douyin, WeChat Channels, Xiaohongshu, Weibo, Kuaishou, and Bilibili, gaining attention and praise from various sectors of society. As of noon on January 4, 2024, the total number of views and reads for their short videos, articles, and related topics across these platforms had exceeded 30 million. The combination of culture tourism and fashion presented a popular model for the innovative development of culture and tourism in Chongqing in 2023, which continued to enhance the popularity of the IP of "World Night" and empower Yuzhong's "beauty economy."
According to the competition rules, Tang Jiamin, who received the highest total number of likes and shares, won the "Best Communication Award" at the 2023 Miss China Chongqing International Pageant for her outstanding communication creativity and strong traffic attraction. Her most-watched video received 1.3 million views, and the total number of likes, shares, and comments for the most popular post surpassed 120,000.
Foreign contestant Camila Fruet expressed her love for Chongqing and Yuzhong, especially her fondness for Chongqing's hotpot and noodles. When asked to recommend Chongqing, she said, "Yuzhong has a stunning night scenery, truly deserving of the title 'the sleepless city.'" She hoped more people could come to Chongqing to explore places like Shancheng Alley and Huguang Guild Hall, take a ride on the cable cars, and experience the city's rich cultural heritage and unique transportation system. Most importantly, they should experience Chongqing's food culture.
Top 3 contestants of the 2023 Miss China Chongqing International Pageant: winner: Chen Jiali (middle); runner-up: Xiao Siyu (right); second runner-up: Hu Wenqian (left). (Photo/The event organizer)
After rounds of selection, Chen Jiali was crowned the 2023 Miss China Chongqing International Pageant winner. Xiao Siyu and Hu Wenqian secured the first and second runners-up, respectively. Along with the best ten contestants, they will continue to promote Yuzhong's culture and tourism as "Miss Chongqing Recommenders" in the next two years, spreading Chongqing's voice to the world and showcasing the cultural and tourism characteristics and unique charm of Yuzhong.