Spotlight on Georgia: Chinese beauty pageant finalists explore Tbilisi

Chinese beauty queens are wandering the streets of Georgia, learning about the culture and taking national dance lessons for the latest round of the prestigious Miss Chinese Cosmos Pageant.

Film crews are following the girls and capturing their every move on film, which will later be produced into a television episode and broadcast in China.

Sixteen semi-finalists of the beauty pageant travelled to Tbilisi on September 12 to film their trip as they visited some of the capital’s main monuments and learnt about the local culture, including wearing national dress and learning Georgian folk dancing.

The tour was organised by the Georgian National Tourism Administration together with the Hualing Group Georgia investment group.

Over the past few days the pageant contestants were guided through Tbilisi’s historical districts and had a photo shoot wearing Georgian national costumes.

The girls displayed the Georgian folk dance skills they were taught during their stay in Tbilisi. Photo from Hualing Group/Facebook.

The pageant girls are also scheduled to visit some of the country’s regional areas including Kazbegi, Gori and Sighnaghi.

While here the contestants are filmed by a crew from Phoenix TV, who founded the Miss Chinese Cosmos Pageant. Once back in China the segments will be produced into an episode and broadcast to an international audience of 250 million.

Head of the Georgian National Tourism Administration Giorgi Chogovadze told Rustavi2 that the Chinese channel’s screening of the tour would help raise awareness of Georgia in China, boost tourist numbers and "contribute indirectly” to raising awareness of Georgian export products, such as wine, nuts and tea.

Over the last decade portions of the Miss Chinese Cosmos Pageant have been held in various locations around the world including the United States, Australia and Europe.