Police in Nanjing are probing a news report that Chinese candidates for the Miss Earth beauty pageant were arranged to serve as restaurant hostesses on the sidelines of the contest in the Jiangsu provincial capital.

Officers said they would investigate who arranged the service and whether the beauty candidates offered sex services, the Modern Express newspaper reported yesterday.

Thirty contestants for the east China final of the beauty pageant reportedly entertained patrons at Shijiyuan restaurant and hotel for dinner and an after-meal chat in VIP rooms on Wednesday.

Shijiyuan set the minimum price for each diner in a VIP room at 1,500 yuan (US$188), the news report said.

The 30 beauty candidates stood in the lobby as customers selected their dining partner. In less than 30 minutes, all orders were placed, the Nanjing-based newspaper said.

Six women reportedly served a table of seven diners in a VIP room. The seven property company executives reportedly paid more than 20,000 yuan (US$2,500) for dinner.

A 17-year-old contestant from Jiangsu said shortly before the dinner an official of the contest's east China organizing committee told the participants to dress up. The official then led them to the restaurant lobby.

A restaurant executive told the newspaper that the organizing committee agreed some of the dinner money would cover the cost of rooms for the candidates and the committee. Diners reportedly paid tips directly to the restaurant.

Diners were allowed to take pictures with beauty contestants, but no body contact was allowed, according to a deal between Shijiyuan and the organizers, the report said.

One beauty contestant withdrew from the pageant after the dinner.

Zhang Bei, vice director of the organizing committee, reportedly said the candidates "overreacted," as two others withdrew on Friday.

(Shanghai Daily August 21, 2006)