WE know from history books that early from ancient times China enjoyed holding different types of beauty pageants.

Some scholars have traced the earliest contests to "Bondwomen Markets" but conducting more formal ones really began with beauty contests among prostitutes.

It is recorded that in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), so-called "flower board" competitions were held. Contestants were mainly prostitutes and the judges were famous scholars and poets.

Just as with today's events, the contests did not focus on women's looks alone. The contestants also had to show their abilities in painting, writing, playing chess, dancing and singing.

The judges would write their appraisals in poetic form, a much more romantic alternative to the present practice in which the judges simply give marks.

Similar beauty contests continued to be held through the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.

Royal women

The emperors' selection of their wives and concubines was also a kind of beauty contest but the rules were much stricter.

Take the Xizong Emperor of the Ming Dynasty who took the throne in 1621 for example. The officials in charge of his marriage chose 5,000 girls aged between 13 and 16 from different parts of China.

Sending their families some money, they ordered the girls' parents to send their daughters to the capital.

Then came the first round of selection. The officials would ask the girls to stand in rows. Those who were a little too tall or too short, too fat or too thin were eliminated from the "contest". About 1,000 girls would lose their chance of a royal appointment in the first round.

On the second day, the remaining girls would again stand in rows under the close scrutiny of officials. Those who had any flaws in their facial features, waists, necks, shoulders or backs had to leave.

The remainder would be asked to give their home town, name and age. Those whose voices were not sufficiently sweet would also be eliminated. Another 1,000 young girls would have to leave after this round.

On the third day, the officials used rulers to measure the length of the girls' hands and feet, which would see another 1,000 depart.

Those left would be be given a physical check-up to see whether they were healthy and could bear a child.

Only 300 would be left after all these selection procedures. They would stay for one month in the palace so that the officials could gain a better understanding of their disposition, wit and personality. Only 50 would remain after the final round.

Games of the rich

Under the Kuomintang regime from 1912 to 1948, beauty contests became a scandal-ridden money machine.

A famous example was the "flower country election" held in Guangzhou. The government, in order to raise money, set up the contest and the participants were mainly prostitutes. The pageant was to select the president, vice president and premier for the so-called "flower country". People could buy votes for the women they favoured.

This ridiculous event was stopped by He Xiangning, who was then the director of the nation's Women's Department.

Shanghai, the so called "Paris of the East", also hosted many beauty contests in that era.

One of the biggest pageants was in August 1929 and the beauty contestants were mainly the daughters and wives of the rich. It became a contest among Shanghai's most famous ladies.

A popular novel, Chang Hen Ge, (Elegy of Eternal Regrets) written by well-known writer Wang Anyi, also had some wonderful descriptions of the exciting scenes when a Miss Shanghai contest was held in 1946.

Ending the taboo

Beauty contests became a thing of the past after Liberation in 1949.

According to an official from the Culture Ministry, there is no law banning beauty contests. But neither is there anyone stepping forward saying that China allows beauty contests. The organizers simply can't get the necessary government permits for such events.

However, seduced by the great business return of the contests, pseudo beauty contests have been held since the late 1980s.

In 1989, Guangzhou, the renowned flower city, hosted the first contest of this kind, entitled "Beauty in the Flower City". The contest was to choose advertising stars and resembled a beauty contest.

In 1991, China organized the first fitness contest. Only eight women nationwide attended the contest but that was enough to arouse considerable dispute around the country.

In 1993, a news story headed, "Students in Beijing University say no to beauty contest" won that year's China Journalism Prize.

Also that year, Pan Tao participated in the 43rd Miss World Contest, the first time a contestant from China's mainland had participated in a world beauty contest.

In 1994, the China Women's Federation officially resolved to oppose beauty contests.

In 2001, Li Bing came fourth in the Miss World contest.

In 2002, Zhuo Ling participated in the Miss Universe contest and won third place.

And in December China will host the final of Miss World, which really marks the country's final acknowledgment of beauty pageants.