Miss World 2012 : Exploring Shanghai

Shanghai, the largest city by population in China, is no longer a strange place for Miss World pageant. The pageant has visited this global city twice before, in 2003 and 2010, and 2012 marks the third time Miss World visited the city. Located at the mouth of the Yangtze River, Shanghai is often described as the "showpiece" of the booming economy of mainland China and offers a lot of spectacles and tourism destinations, including The Bund, Yu Garden, and the 468 meter tall Oriental Pearl Television Tower, all of which were visited by the 2012 Miss World contestants. Check out their adventures in the pictures below!

Miss World 2012 contestants took pictures during a night cruise on Huangpu River. Along the cruise, they will pass some of the most famous and illuminated parts of the city which includes The Bund, the Jin Mao Observatory, the Shanghai World Financial Centre, and the Oriental Pearl Television Tower. 

Yu Garden, also known as Garden of Happiness, is another place of interest that was visited by the Miss World 2012 contestants. This oasis of calm and peace is famous for its zigzag bridge and picturesque tea house, situated in the middle of the lake.

During their visit to Century Square, the girls got a chance to sing the Miss World anthem "Light the Passion, Share the Dream" to an ecstatic crowd. 

Miss World 2012 took a new level of altitude as they visited the Oriental Pearl Television Tower. Standing ay 468 meters tall, the tower was once the tallest structure in China before being surpassed by  the Shanghai World Financial Centre in 2007.

The  Oriental Pearl Television Tower has 15 observatory levels. The highest (known as the Space Module) is at 350 meters. Despite the dizzy height of the tower, the girls showed no fear as they ascend to the tallest level and experience a spectacular view of the city.  

Miss Italy posing for photographer with the amazing view of Shanghai night lights as her background.

Inside the glass floored observatory deck of the Oriental Pearl Television Tower, the contestants excitedly took a lot of pictures, with some of them posing with the inflatable models of the tower. 

Sitting "above" Shanghai, Miss Kazakhstan is smiling and posing for the photographer.

One final look at the beautiful Yu Garden. First conceived in 1559 during the Ming Dynasty, the garden is now one of the most popular tourist destination in modern-day Shanghai.

SHANGHAI

• Status : municipality

• Area : 6,340.5 km2

• Population : 23,019,148

• Density : 3600 / km2

• GDP : CNY 1.92 trillion


Pictures courtesy of MissWorld.com