Chen Lili, the Chinese mainland's first man-turned-woman, has been denied entry into the 54th Miss World beauty pageant by the headquarters of the contest in China.

The organizers have annulled her application, saying that she is a transsexual and does not qualify for the contest.

The rules of the Miss World Competition set a limit of the female gender, as defined at birth. However Chen Lili has undergone a sex-change operation.

It's the first time the competition organizer has received such an application in its 53 year history.

The 1.73-meter-tall Lili, formerly named Chen Yongjun, underwent a sex change operation last November and is now a model in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality.

(CRI March 1, 2004)