The proceedings ranged from international press events in stadium-size venues, to dodgy nocturnal business in cheap cabarets. Different organisations fought for the privilege to elect Miss Shanghai – or disavowed any connection to the pageant. Gleefully outraged public debates erupted in the press after the competitions: the fairness of the voting was dubious, the organisers were criminal, and often the charitable fundraising was a sham. In 1947, the crown was tossed around on stage, taken from one girl and given to another.
The pageant in 1933 advertised Hollywood connections that were fabricated. In 1931, Chinese activists protested against bathing suits on the catwalk. The competition of 1929 led to a court case and the recasting of votes. The Miss Shanghai beauty pageants were held almost every year between 19, and they usually precipitated a scandal.
