Miss Universe China 2006 contest gains momentum

Miss China Universe 2006 participants adopt tiger cubs, visit orphaned kids.

14 February, 2006
MUMBAI, INDIA

Now Miss Universe 2006 contestants are beginning to do what they proclaim. Around 50 participants of Miss Universe China 2006 adopted tiger cubs and spent time with Orphans in the Chinese province of Heilongjiang on February 12.

Top seed for the Miss Universe China 2006 contest, Luo Ying, lead from the front, adopting a year-old Siberian tiger cub for $250 from the capital of the province, Harbin. The adoption was made from the world's largest forest-based tiger park. Ying also christened her tiger cub Yuanyuan.

A self-proclaimed animal lover, Ying pointed out that Siberian tigers are an endangered species and hence her decision to adopt one. She urged more people to follow suit in order to take part in the responsibility of “environment and wildlife conservation”.

The park has bread more than 500 Siberian tigers since its inception in 1986. Jiang Hua, an official with the organizing committee of the Miss Universe China 2006, said ten more tigers were adopted by Miss Universe candidates.
The organizing panel also took some contestants to an SOS village in Qiqihar. Some became foster mothers for orphaned kids.

The Miss Universe China 2006 candidates have been selected from scores of participants drawn from capital Beijing, commercial hub Shanghai, Sichuan, Heilongjiang, Jiangxi and Zhejiang.

The finals round starts in Harbin from Feb. 6 to March March 1. The contest then moves on to the Hainan island province.

The Miss Universe pageant is immensely popular in Communist China, where beauty contests are a rage since it had its footprint in the world’s most populous nation in 2003.

No participant from China has been able to finish in the first 15 in the annual Miss Universe contest, which has attracted over 100 million television viewers of 150 countries.