The New Silk Road Model Contest, an annual event, which has been held in Sanya for many years, will now be held in Yinchuan, the capital of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, echoing the national strategy of developing areas along the Silk Road, the ancient trade route, the organizer said at an event to launch the contest in Beijing on June 21.

Besides 25 Chinese models, 25 models from 20 countries will take part in the event in September, the organizer added.

The models will travel to the contest venue from Beijing by train, promoting tourist spots along the way.

The contest has been held annually since 1989, and has led to the discovery of supermodels like Du Juan, China's first international super model, and Zhang Zilin, the first Miss World of East Asian origin.

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