Contestants with the 65th Miss World Competition walk to the venue in Sanya hand-in-hand with local children. [Photo/Xinhua]

With a dream to bring home the crown, 129 beautiful women from more than 120 countries and regions arrived in Sanya, the southern city of Hainan province, to compete in the 65th Miss World pageant.

A welcome party was held Monday at the seven-star Beauty Crown Sanya Hotel,which also marked the debut of all the candidates. The contestants received flowers presented by Sanya primary school students, and the Li people, an ethnic minority group in Hainan, performed their unique bamboo dance.