娱乐英语新闻:China's new hope for Miss Universe

Faced with a barrage of questions and criticism, the young girl says she "was totally and utterly stressed", but not surprised.

"I felt lucky that NSR sent me directly to the final without holding a selection within the country I think it is because I have experience as an actress, in modeling and was involved in the Olympic Games. I am more qualified," she says.

For NSR's CEO Li Xiaobai, Tang represents a typical "oriental beauty".

"This is the first time we are cooperating with (the) Miss Universe (committee). I have taken the opinions of fashion editors and staff of various luxury brands. They all agreed that we should choose someone who has the 'oriental beauty', and Tang is this kind of beauty," says the man at the helm of the largest modeling business on the Chinese mainland.

Tang says she has spent several nights watching the 2009 Miss Universe video clip and has come away convinced that Asian women are thinner compared to their Western counterparts but also less confident.

"'Oriental beauty' means not only a beautiful face, but also beautiful qualities. People usually think Chinese women are always gentle. This time, I will stand on stage and give a new definition of the Chinese woman - someone who is not only gentle, but also independent and strong," Tang says.

In 2008, director Zhang Yimou picked her to carry the placard for the German team at the Olympics Opening Ceremony.

She had been training for half a year, but just the night before the ceremony, she was told someone else might replace her.

"That would have rendered all the training meaningless. Suddenly, I felt afraid. At that time, I realized I was so eager for this position. It belonged to me."

On the night of August 7 in 2008, all of Tang's teammates were sleeping soundly but she sat crouching in a corner, watching video clips of previous Olympic opening ceremonies broadcast on TV, on mute.

She kept watching the telephone, dreading its ring, fearing that it would be a call telling her she was being replaced.

When dawn broke and she had not received any call, she finally felt safe and fell asleep. In the evening, she appeared in the Bird's Nest with her warm smile.

Unlike other models who love shopping, her hobbies are not only watching basketball, but also reading Shakespeare, long-distance hiking, and car-racing.

"I also believe in 'karma'. What you give is what you get in return."

She admits that because of her straightforward nature, she does not have many friends.

She is looking forward to the Miss Universe competition to fulfill two of her longstanding dreams: One is to travel around the world, and the other, to become more involved in the fashion industry.

"I plan to travel around the world when I retire, but becoming a Miss World can make it happen sooner, and I have always wanted to be an entertainer," she says.