Contestants at a linguistic class. [Photo provided to China Daily]

For most Chinese, the recent Mid-Autumn Festival is a time to take a long-awaited break. But the weekend turned into a fierce competition for 41 beautiful young women who were contending for the crown in the 2019 Miss Chinese Cosmos Pageant.

One of the country's best known beauty contests, the annual event held a quarterfinal competition in Zhuhai, in Guangdong province, during the festival.

After a seven-day training program covering a wide range of activities, from acting to music to delivering speeches, 15 candidates were shortlisted from the 41 aspirants, all Chinese or of Chinese descent.

The event, initiated by Hong Kong-based broadcaster Phoenix Satellite TV in 2003, saw its latest edition launched in May, with many competitions held in China, Europe and America.

Twelve from the 15 candidates will feature in the semifinal and the top three winners will be crowned by the end of October.

2019 Miss Chinese Cosmos Pageant selected 15 candidates shortlisted from 41 aspirants in its quarterfinal held in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, on Sept 13. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Contestants were trained at an improvisational performance class. [Photo provided to China Daily]