Miss World 2012 Winner, Wenxia Yu, And Past Winners Throughout History [PHOTOS]

Wenxia Yu was crowned Miss World 2012 on Saturday at the Dongsheng Stadium over 116 other contestants from around the globe.

Yu is the second Chinese contestant to take the crown in the Miss World competition, after Zhang Zilin won in 2007. Yu is 23-years-old, from The People's Republic of China and speaks both Chinese and English fluently. She studied music in school, namely piano, and has aspirations to become a teacher someday.

Wenxia Yu is the 61st winner to be named in the Miss World pageant since its creating in 1951. According to its website, Miss World was first created as part of the Festival of Britain celebrations by Eric Morley.

In 1951, 26 women competed for the crown, with Sweden's Kiki Haakonson named the first Miss World. Throughout the 1950's, the risqué swimsuit outfits caught attention from the public. Within a few years, it garnered a global audience when it was televised by the BBC from 1959 to 1979 and then Thames Television until 1988. In 1970, the competition hosted by Bob Hope was the single most-watched show of the year in the United Kingdom. Fifty years later, the show garners over a billion viewers each year.

The competition changed slightly in 1980, with the addition of the personality and intelligent criteria being judged upon in the evaluation portion.

After reaching its half-century anniversary in 2000, the show continues being the most popular in the world, currently with franchises in over 130 countries and $450 million in fundraising.

Here's a look at photos of the Miss World 2012 winner, Wenxia Yu, and past winners throughout the years.