The Great Wall hosts 2014 OMC World Bikini Model Contest

The Great Wall of China, the only wall – known to us – to be preceded with a congratulatory adjective, earlier this week provided the backdrop for a promotional shoot for something called the “2014 OMC World Bikini Model Contest Global Final”.

According to generous reportage in state media (“48 Bikini beauties experience Chinese culture in Beijing”), the women (yes, bikini modeling is still a gender exclusive pastime) were drawn from 46 different countries from “around the world”.

Yep.

Though details of the contestants and the competition itself remain scant (a Google search for “2014 OMC World Bikini Model Contest Global Final” reveals just three results, all Chinese state media, whereas a search for “OMC” returns results linked to a mid 90s New Zealand pop group of the same name, famous for their hit “How Bizarre”), the event appears to have been some sort of outmoded PR attempt to burnish China’s most famous landmark, with a much needed dose of crass 1970s glamor.