Yu Wenxia (C) of China waves as she walks to receive the crown during the pageant's final ceremony at the Dongsheng stadium in the inner Mongolian city of Ordos on August 18, 2012. China's Yu Wenxia of China defeated more than 100 other hopefuls at the glittering ceremony held in the Chinese mining city of Ordos, on the edge of the Gobi desert. AFP PHOTO / Ed Jones (Photo credit should read Ed Jones/AFP/GettyImages)
ORDOS, CHINA (AP) - China's Yu Wenxia has been crowned the 2012 Miss World. This is the second time Miss China has been awarded the title. The last time was in 2007 when Zhang Zilin took the honor.
The first runner-up is Sophie Elizabeth Moulds of Wales and the second runner-up is Jessica Michelle Kahawaty of Australia.
The 23-year-old Yu is a music student who says she wants to become a music teacher.
This is the first time for the Inner Mongolian city of Ordos to host the international beauty pageant. The city is one of the richest regions in China thanks to its abundant natural resources. It hopes the world event will raise its profile for economic development and tourism.
Sanya, another Chinese city, has hosted the contest several times.
The Associated Press