Zhang Zi Lin, Miss World 2007

Even though I've said I will never follow the Miss World competition again, let me take the time to pay a little tribute to some deserving winners from the past.

Miss World 2007 was held in China, the year before China was due to host the greatest Olympics the world had ever seen. The contestant, Zhang Zi Lin, was also the greatest Chinese woman who had ever competed in the pageant.

Why the greatest? She won. But even if she was Chinese and her winning might have something to do with the Beijing Olympics, she won it hands down. Nobody could come close to her shining star that night.

Tall, graceful, with a sweet, gorgeous face, I wondered if she would amount to more than a beauty queen with her Amazonian height, otherwise she would be a good face on the big screen.

In the Asian movie business, most leading actresses are of petite or average height.

But it was with pride that I saw her photos attending the 64th Annual Cannes Film Festival, turning heads and making reporters ask who she was. Well, most of them would not have followed the Miss World competition to know she actually was the winner in 2007.

But her star continues to shine and we'll wait to see more of her.