The 55th Miss World Pageant has been formally kicked off at a grand press conference on Thursday in south China's Guangzhou city.

　　The annual beauty pageant, known as the "Olympics of Global Fashion Circles" will be held for a third consecutive year at the tropical Chinese beach town of Sanya from November 11th to December 10th.

　　Young ladies from more than 125 countries and regions have applied to compete in the event, and over 200 TV stations in home and abroad will live broadcast the extravaganza.Miss World came to Sanya in 2003 after the pageant was forced to flee Nigeria in 2002 following deadly rioting.

　　Sanya, the only tropical coastal city in China, will be the third city to hold more than one Miss World final after London and Sun City in South Africa. The competition in Sanya this year is designed to appear more Chinese, and present a glamorous slant on the Olympics.