'It's a privilege to have 107 girls dance around me'

Music legend Lionel Richie, in China to perform at the Miss World contest, said on Friday he wants to collaborate with a Chinese singer. It was a privilege to be in Sanya, he added.

Music legend Lionel Richie, in China to perform at the Miss World contest, said on Friday he wants to collaborate with a Chinese singer.

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"I want to find local artists here in China... and I would love to do a song with that person, so Lionel Richie will become part of the culture," the Grammy-winning singer told reporters at the Sanya beach resort on tropical Hainan island in southern China, where he is to perform at the Miss World contest on Saturday.

"It's quite a privilege to be here with 107 girls dancing around me," he said, grinning.

Richie, who has had a string of hits including "Hello" and "All night long", said he wanted to visit China before it becomes too modernised.

"I love it. It's the best-kept secret in the world. Because it is growing so fast, I wanted to come sooner rather then later to experience some places that are not so developed," he said.

"Right now it's absolutely wonderful. You get a sense of the old as well as the new."