Miss HK Beauties

Miss Chinese International News

Many people from the forums have been debating about placement of Leanne & Fala , as to who should have won. Here are the views from two experts. Critical Beauty member ERIC SIOW resides in Malaysia & was able to watch the show live, said New York’s Fala Chen was his favourite & thought she was sweet, & that she should have won. However she only had the 2nd best answer during the final interview round. The night belonged to Vancouver he says. As did Rafa (President of Critical Beauty), who added “Vancouver was the favourite & the one to beat”.

Leanne & Fala both performed to the best of their ability. It was a matter of preference & at the end of the day, the judges favored Leanne just a bit more as she shined during the night with her superb stage presence, sweet personality, & near perfect interview. Both of these girls are pleasant, friendly, beautiful, & intelligent. Either way, the winner would still be beautiful inside as well as out.

Jan 31 Miss Chinese Int' News*translated by Em, Tvbspace News Roundup
The winners of the pageant were out and about again collecting their prizes from the sponsors and in total received $228,000 of watches, $100,000 of skincare products and health foods and $100,000 in cash. When asked about their comments on the swimsuits, they all said that they were fine. Kate Tsui added: "For the show to only receive 8 complaints from the whole of Hong Kong, then that is a small number really. It is a very personal opinion." She wore a black swimsuit on the evening and she said jokingly: "I didn't really notice the other girls in their white swimsuits because we were very rushed and I had to watch a tape to review the show."

Winner Leanne Li and first runner up Fala Chen both wore pink swimsuits and did not think that they were too revealing. Leanne smiles: "That is what swimwear is like!" As for Fala, she responds: "Every beauty pageant has a swimwear section for the judges to look at the contestants' figures. I felt very comfortable and I saw the other girls were very happy too."

Second runner up Jessica Young and 'Miss Friendship' Jolene Chin both wore white swimsuits, but did not think that they were disadvantaged. Jessica even says: "It was not like underwear, the material was like swimwear and I felt it looked quite good." Jolene added: "It was okay and the sparkly sequins were quite unusual."

Saturday's Miss Chinese International Pageant achieved average ratings of 24 points, which was quite respectable, but there have been criticisms that some of the girls' swimsuits resemble lingerie and the Hong Kong Broadcasting Authority has received 8 complaints about the show, all aimed at the swimwear section of the show.

Complaints included the swimsuits being too revealing and degrading to women, unsuitable and a bad influence to children. TVB's External Affairs Assistant Chief Tsang Sing Ming responded to this, thanking the viewers for their comments, but TVB itself has not received any complaints as yet. He adds that the swimsuits worn by the girls are of an international fashion standard, but TVB will take on board the experience and there will be lessons learned from the post-event production review.

http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/ent/20050201/20050201010604_0003.html
http://orientaldaily.com.hk/ent/ent_a08cnt.html

More goodies to collect
The five new Miss Chinese International Award Winners: Leanne Li, Fala Chen, Jessica Young, Kate Tsui and Jolene Chin continued their tour of sponsors to collect their prizes yesterday and winner Leanne was presented with a diamond watch worth $90,000, with the other four ladies receiving watches worth between $4000 and over $60,000.

Leanne admits that this is the first time that she has been given such an expensive watch and she will keep this in her security deposit box and only wear it on special occations. When asked what her family have given her, she said articulately: "They have given me love and that is enough." When it was mentioned that she resembles Miriam Yeung, Leanne says that she does have this feeling and when she saw Miriam performing at the music awards earlier, she had hoped to be able to have her photo taken with Miriam. Can she sing Cantonese songs? Leanne's thoughts turned to Faye Wong as she replied: "I know how to sing Faye's songs, she has a very unusual voice." When asked if she sees Miriam as her idol, Leanne smiled: "I like them all!"

First runner up Fala received a watch worth $63,000 and as she has not eaten very much in the run up to the pageant, she indicates that she went for a massive celebratory meal the night before with her friends and family.

http://www.takungpao.com/news/2005-2-1/UL-360571.htm

Jan 30th Miss Chinese Int' News*translated by Em, Tvbspace News Roundup
The five newly crowned Miss Chinese International award winners were on a busy schedule yesterday as they attended presentation ceremonies by the show's sponsors in Mongkok and Tsimshatsui. Three different sponsores handed out prizes that amounted to totals of $228,000 of diamond jewellery, $200,000 of leather goods, skincare products to the value of $100,000 and $100,000 in cash.

The winner Leanne Li was also presented with a gold and jade sceptre by 3D-Gold, worth $238,888 in a ceremony that was also attended by her proud mother. When asked what she would do with her award, she says she will take it home to Vancouver and display it in a glass cabinet. As for her other prizes, she says she will give the money to her mother and donate some to the church because she is a Christian. *Leanne is the Creative Communication Coordinator of the Campus Crusade for Christ at UBC. She says “Campus Crusade for Christ has dramatically changed my life since my membership in 2003. I didn't quite realize that being a christian on campus can shine lights on other students' path through evangelism, discipleship, bible studies, outreaches, and much more. Being a second year art student, I'm also able to utilize my abilities in graphic design and fine arts to serve the Lord, the creater of heaven and earth. One important thing I've learned through this movement is that God uses ordinary people like you and me to make a difference in the world.” (Courtesy of UBC) Leanne says that she is very interested to working in front of the camera and if she has the opportunity, she would like to try her luck in Hong Kong. First runner up Fala Chen says that she will share her prizes with her mother and use the cash prize to help pay off her student loads. When asked if it was enough, she replied that it wasn't.

Priscilla Chik was later asked for her thoughts on the result and she did not seem surprised that Kate did not make the top three, saying that she thought the three winners were very justified and it was good enough for Kate to win the Miss Gorgeous award. When asked if she even felt that outsider Jessica Young should have won, Priscilla replied saying: "You thought she wasn't in the running? I thought she was okay." As for Kate's performance, Priscilla thought she did well, but she says that the other girls did even better: "All the girls from abroad did their very best when they were faced with questions about Chinese culture and did not seem nervous at all, this made it even more entertaining. (What about Kate?) She did a very good oldie dance - I couldn't take my eyes off her body!"

After hearing boos from the audience during the pageant and now not receiving a vote of confidence from her predecessor, Kate responded to Priscilla's comments saying: "I do not really know her very well, but as a fellow Miss Hong Kong, then I am sure she will support me. I have not heard these words from her directly and she even says that for me to win an award is a good thing, so I will take this as words of support. (She says that she didn't think you would get into the top three?) Everyone has their own choices, not choosing me does not mean she did not support me." Well said!

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http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/ent/20050131/20050131004141_0003.html

Jan 30th Miss Chinese Int' News *translated by Em, Tvbspace News Roundup
Winner - Leanne Li (Vancouver)
1st ru - Fala Chen (New York)
2nd ru - Jessica Young (Melbourne)
Miss Gorgeous - Kate Tsui (Hong Kong)
Miss Friendship - Jolene Chin (Kuala Lumpur)

The Miss Chinese International Pageant 2005 was held at TKO TVB City yesterday and after many rounds of selection, the title was awarded to 20 year-old Leanne Li from Vancouver. Hot favourite Fala Chen was only able to make second place, with darkhorse Jessica Young from Melbourne taking third place. When Hong Kong's Kate Tsui was chosen for the top five, there were many cheers from the audience, but she did not make the top three, taking only the 'Miss Cosmopolitan Beauty/ Miss Gorgeous' award as a consolation. The 'Miss Friendship' award had earlier been announced as Jolene Chin from Kuala Lumpur.

Leanne hails from Shanghai and is currently studying at university (majoring in Fine Arts, specializing in graphic design) . Her ambition is to become either a producer or an artiste. Leanne says that she was always confident in herself and just enjoyed the contest calmly without any pressure. With Kate Tsui winning the internet vote, she does not feel that this was a consolation prize, because she was chosen by the Hong Kong and China audience. Judge Andy Lau praised thet top three contestants, saying that Leanne has the look of a winner, Fala has the beauty of a star and Jessica has a wonderful singing voice. As for why Kate Tsui did not reach the top three, Andy felt that this was due to her having too much pressure put on her.

This year's show was themed "Eternal Beauty - Touching Hearts for Five Thousand Years" and the contestants paraded in various period costumes that were very beautiful, but in one of the swimwear items, the girls wore white bikinis that resembled underwear and the thin material at times showed a little more than was decent, causing complaints from some of the audience. Tomorrow, several contestants will be auditioning with TVB! GOOD LUCK!

Articles
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Jan 28th Miss Chinese Int' News*translated by Em, Tvbspace News Roundup
"Miss Chinese International 2005" will be taking place this evening in TKO TVB City and the 22 contestants paraded yesterday for the first time in their swimwear for the press as they voted among themselves for the winner of Miss Friendship, that was won by Jolene Chin from Kuala Lumpur.

Jolene was very surprised to win the award, saying that she never would have imagined it. Talking of the suggestion that the winner of this award was usually from someone who was no threat, Jolene laughs: "I am sure that the others would not vote for me because I am not a threat to them. We are not really fighting for anything, but anyway, I am confident in myself."

From the scenes yesterday, the swimwear arranged for the girls was not only rather skimpy, the material was also quite thin and the girls revealed some of what was underneath, including bra pads. Hong Kong representative Kate Tsui seemed to have overdone the weight loss regime as she revealed her bra pads as well as some rather bony ribs. Also as she walked, she seemed to be covering up some serious cellulite near her bottom. When asked if she was disappointed at not taking the first award, Kate seemed a little put out as she said: "Disappointed? How? I am very supportive of Number 5 and after sharing a room with her for three weeks, we have not argued at all. (Did you vote for her?) I don't really want to say because that would be unfair." When asked about her very thin figure leaving her a little behind the others when showing off her figure, Kate disagreed, saying: "Actually, my weight is very similar to when I was taking part in Miss Hong Kong and my measurements have not changed. I feel that the most important thing is the balance." She does not feel that she is too skinny, saying that her figure is okay. *The press has been taking cheap shots at Kate since the start of the pageant. She has handled it quite well!

Among the other contestants, there were some rather voluptuous figures and Brisbane's Kelly Wang has been recognised as the 'Bustiest Contestant' by the press. Annie Chang from San Francisco seemed to be wearing a bikini that was a size too small for her, giving the feeling of 'overflowing' and attracting much attention. Annie herself felt that the costume was a little tight, making her look even sexier, but everyone else was wearing the same, so she did not want to comment, despite laughing that no-one in America would wear it like this. As for the hot favourite New York's Fala Chen, she was very confident, smiling sweetly and showing a well balanced figure. When asked if she was confident about taking the crown, she said modestly: "I will do my best and give my all for tomorrow's show. (Is there any pressure?) Being favoured naturally puts a bit of pressure on, but my confidence grows with this." Fala's parents have come to Hong Kong especially to watch her performance and this has also helped her.

Amsterdam's Joyce de Jong is also dubbed for the top three and it has been revealed the Kimberley Chin from Taipei is the daughter of "Apple Flower Songstress" Yang Yan, who has also come to support her daughter.

TVB released 4 additional clips today & revealed the top 3 most popular contestants, voted by the public through phone polls for the past4 days. The favourites were

Jan 24 - Melbourne, New York, HK
Jan 25 - Calgary, New York, HK
Jan 26th - Sydney, New York, HK
Jan 27th - New York, HK, Montreal

Best in Swimsuit
From a distance, the swimsuits, in hues of green & yellow look quite decent (I’m pretending the peacock feathers didn’t exist!) & fits especially well on all the contestants, allowing them to have a longer torso. The green swimsuits were much more attractive than the yellow, as most of the contestants in the yellow appeared a tad bit washed out.

There were quite a few contestants who looked amazing & in swimsuit. They were San Francisco (the fittest), New York (natural shape), Vancouver, Singapore, Amsterdam, Hong Kong , Auckland, Lima, Sydney, & a few others.

Predictions
This was so tough! I will guess it is…
New York, Vancouver, HK, Kuala Lumpur, & either Amsterdam or Melbourne or San Francisco or Toronto or........

It’s hard to believe a winner will finally be crowned tomorrow! Win or lose, the delegates should be proud of themselves as they are all winners of their respective cities & represented it with class. This was a strong & sweet group! Good luck to all @ the finals! :)

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Jan 27th Miss Chinese Int' News *translated by AL from Mingpao
Miss Chinese International contestant No. 6 Miss Seattle celebrated her twentieth birthday at TVB city. Yesterday, TVB prepared a birthday cake during the rehearsal. At the occasion, Cheng Dan Shui suggested all the three hosts should give Miss Seattle a birthday kiss. However, it was only Cheng Dan Shui himself who pretended to kiss Linda from a far distance. When the press asked Cheng Dan Shui who he thinks will do well at the competition, Cheng Dan Shui said Miss New York Fala Chen.
Linda Tomko was ecstatic to have twenty-one contestants to celebrate her birthday and to receive many presences. When asked if she wants the competition award to be her gift, Linda said she will do her best!
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*translated by Em, Tvbspace News Roundup
This year's Miss Chinese International Pageant will be taking place on Saturday and yesterday, the 22 contestants together with MC's Cheng Dan Shui, Stephen Au and Joe Ngai were rehearsing in TVB City and it also happened to be the 20th birthday of No 6 Linda Tomko from Seattle. The crew prepared a birthday cake for her and everyone sung 'Happy Birthday' to her and presented her with cards and flowers, making her very happy. Ah Dan called out that the MC's had to give her a birthday kiss, but in the end, he was the only one to blow her a kiss. The other girls then played a trick on the birthday girl, leaving her with cream on her nose.

Spending her birthday with 21 other girls from all over the world, Linda felt very happy because she has never spent her birthday with so many other girls before, so even if she had cream on her nose, she didn't mind because it was a lovely and happy surprise. When asked about her birthday wish, she hopes that she and her family have good health. Asked if she would like to win an award as a birthday present, she smiles that she will try her best. As well as the flowers and cards, some of the other girls had also presented her with some gifts, such as a purse and accessories.

Ah Dan was asked whether his refusal to really kiss Linda was because he was afraid of his wife and he laughs: "No, it is just that we did not need to go that far." He has been at TVB for over ten years, but this is the first time he has MC'ed for MCI and he feels very excited about it, complimenting the girls' appearances, saying the quality was not bad, especially No 10 Fala Chen.

Joe was the MC for Miss Hong Kong when Amy Kwok was the winner, but he will just be a guest this year, responsible for asking questions about Chinese history, so he will not bee too hard on them. Talking of the quality of beauty this year, Joe says that they are overall better than Miss Hong Kong, where he judged the 'Perfect Skin' award last year. In comparison, he feels that the MCI girls are more embracing and eyecatching, especially Kate Tsui, who seems more radiant and youthful than when she entered MHK, so she stands a good chance of winning.

http://www.takungpao.com/news/2005-1-27/UL-358573.htm

Jan 24th Miss Chinese Int' News*translated by Em, Tvbspace News Roundup
The Miss Chinese International Pageant 2005 will be held on Saturday and a special press conference was held yesterday, where the girls met the five judges - artistes Andy Lau and Cecilia Yip, Dr Robin Chan Yau-hing GBS JP EOE, The Hon Maria Chan Wai Chu and The Hon Henry Wu JP. The three guest performers Eason Chan, Linda Chung and Gigi Yiu were also present alongside MC's Cheng Dan Shui and Stephen Au, but guest MC Joe Ngai was absent. The figures of the 22 contestants are not bad at all, but it was No 3 Annie Chang rom San Francisco and No 14 Kelly Wang from Brisbane who stood out from the rest and caught the attention of the cameras, whilst No 2 Jessica Young wore a low cut deep V dress.

Andy has been a judge in a beauty pageant before, but he has forgotten what contest and year it was ( I remember he once judged for Miss Photogenic at MHK 1990 & said he was looking for someone with eyes, ears, mouth, nose & later added someone who looks beautiful at first glance). He jokes: "In the past, I represented the opinion of the young people, but now I am representing more mature men and there is a big difference between them. When you are younger, you look for external beauty, but now I also take their internal personality and how lovable they are into account." After the press conference, the judges each had twenty minutes to chat with each of the contestants. When Andy was asked about what he would be asking them, he syas that he does not have any special topics and will improvise. As for the earlier criticisms that No 16 Kimberley Chin had received from people about her looks, Andy laughs: "The people who are criticising should look at themselves first (How right he is! ). (Will you show favouritism towards the Hong Kong representative?) Of course! I support Hong Kong!(Well there you have it, HK will likely win an award in the top3) However long hair and big b****ts will not get higher points, but maturity will. (There are so many contestants already 25 this year?) No wonder they asked me to be the judge this year."

Andy adds that 40% of the score will be down to the pageant's structures, the other 60% is down to the opinion of the judges, otherwise they could judge using robots. As Andy has travelled to many places before, he was asked which location has the most pretty girls. He says openly that it is India because in facial shape, they look very sharp and their eyebrows are especially defined.

Originally working away in Shanghai, Cecilia Yip took time out especially to judge the contest before heading back to work. She says on meeting the contestants for the first time that that their figures are very good maybe because of the good nutrition of modern times. When asked what her standards are as a judge, she says that her first wish is for girls to get to know about Chinese culture. When it was mentioned that Andy would give more points to the Hong Kong rep, Cecilia insisted that she would not do this because in her eyes, every girl in the contest has the same standing and she will be giving out her points fairly.

In response to becoming the target for the press at the event, #3 Annie says that out of the six outfits she had tried, this was the most conservative. When asked why she did not choose the high cut dress, she says that it was rather tight. Was she embarrassed at being the focus of attention? She says no, because she does not usually wear this type of clothing and # 14 Kelly was looking sexier. Asked if she felt she would get more points from the judges for looking sexier, she says she does not know, because the other contestants have great figures too. Kelly had already added a tube top to her outfit, but her figure still stood out and gave the impression of 'overflowing'. When asked if she thought the judges would show favouritism over Hong Kong, she says that she believes that they will be fair and she has confidence in herself, especially in her eyes, because they are the windows to the soul. Kate Tsui responded to Andy's comments about giving her more points by saying she believed that Andy would be very fair to the other contestants, but she thanks him for his support. She has always been in admiration of Andy for his hard working and determined character. As she has lost some weight, her original dress no longer fitted her, so the black dress she wore yesterday was borrowed from No 21 Tahiti's Elodie Chung. (The girls appeared their best in their semi-formal wear. There were quite a few standouts & it was nice to see a range of different colors instead of pure black. Chicago, Toronto, Amsterdam were absolutely stunning as ladies in red. Thailand was radient in her short baby blue tube number, Kuala Lumpur looked amazing in her pink/purple halter? with keyhole, Montreal (great necklace), HK, New York, Melbourne were elegant in black, & the list continues! Angela has written a fashion review but it will be available after the finals. The contestants also paraded in swimsuit in a private interview with the judges where they wore yellow & green bikinis. While we're still in the topic of attire, the contestants will be wearing gorgeous gold qipaos (2 diff. necklines) along with 4-5 inch matching heels )

Meanwhile, guest star Eason said modestly that the responsibility of being a judge is very great, so he would have to consider very carefully if he was offered the role. He adds that he has his own criteria for a pretty girl: "I like girls who are confident and their own personality. All you have to do is look at who I am with to see. She (Hilary Tsui) once threw a can at someone, even I have never dared to do that!"

It was also revealed that the stage design for this year's pageant will be kept simple to avoid hazards resulting from too many traps and gadgets.

Picture links
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http://ent.tom.com/xiezhen/50125huajie/index.php

Articles
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http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/ent/20050125/20050124233403_0003.html
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Jan 22nd Miss Chinese Int' News *translated by AL from Takungpao
Miss Chinese International 2005 will take place on January 29, 2005. Similar to the past, the competition will consist of the top three along with Miss Friendship, however, this year TVB added a new award called “Miss Cosmopolitan” that will determined by viewer’s votes. In addition to the new award, TVB has designed three sets of swimsuit for the contestants to wear during the interview. According to TVB, it has confirmed a famous talk show host Ai Chun will be a guest host, along with Lau Tak Wah as one of the judges and Eason Chan will be one of the performances on the competition night.
Yesterday, TVB arranged the contestants to attendant the opening ceremony of the “? ? ? ? ? ?” award, and invited the audiences to vote for Miss Popularity (I think it is pretty obvious who will be the winner for this award, considering the polls are opened only to those from HK or Mainland China). Despite the favorites such as, New York, Toronto, Amsterdam and Bangkok, all have fans presence to support them; they were still defeated by the local contestant Miss Hong Kong. Moreover, Kate was chosen to display a winning septor that worth HKD 238,888 (It doesn't look that posh....probably the color). Therefore, Kate was ecstatic and told the press, “even though I can only take pictures with the winning septor, I am still happy. I am especially thankful to Mandy Cho for her support”. When the press asked Fala Chen if she was disappointed or not, she said, “today’s votes were only determined by the live audiences!”

*translated by Em, Tvbspace News Roundup
Miss Chinese International 2005 will be held next Saturday night and in addition to the top three and Miss Friendship, this year there will be a new award that is voted for by viewers in Hong Kong and China entitled "Miss Cosmopolitan Beauty" (directly translated). A special promotional event was held yesterday at a Mongkok Shopping Mall marking the beginning of voting as well as showcasing one of the prizes for the winner - a jade and pure gold sceptre worth a $238,888.

When the 22 girls appeared, they attracted the cameras of many passing members of the public and when they each introduced themselves on the stage, Tahiti's representative Elodie Chung was nervous about her poor Cantonese and as she stuttered her words, she became very embarrassed and silent as she just smiled. Then when she was being interviewed, she also revealed her bra that she was wearing under her dress. Afterwards, she explained that Cantonese is not her mother tongue as she speaks French or English normally. She only knows a little bit of Mandarin Chinese and no Cantonese at all. However, she wanted to give it a try though, even though it ended in embarrassment. There were other mishaps at the event as some girls showed their knickers whilst walking onto stage in their mini-skirts and some contestants were so nervous that they were photographed in compromising positions, such as adjusting their bra straps. (It doesn't seem fair that the length on some of the outfits were quite short! A little toooo short imho. Not even boy-shorts would help. The blue velvet dresses were the best (at least from phtoos), while only Singapore, Taipei, Vancouver, Sydney, Chicago, Seattle had a conservative length)

Although this was the first official public engagement for the girls, there were many fans there supporting the contestants, in particular Toronto's Lena Ma, Hong Kong's Kate Tsui, Amsterdam's Joyce de Jong and Pradubduen Sawankwan from Bangkok. (A few of the contestants even received letters of support from 2 girls (Fiona & Michelle) who were present at the event!The contestants were very touched) When Kate appeared, her fans blew wolf whistles at her and she did not disappoint them, winning the vote for "Audience's favourite contestant" at the event, her reward was the chance to be the first to hold and parade with the winner's sceptre. She smiled: "I am very happy and thank you to the Hong Kong fans for their support. This is a great encouragement for me and has increased my confidence." With just a week left before the girls all return to their respective countries, Kate says she is starting to miss them already, so she is spending time chatting to the other contestants in the evenings and sharing their cultures. Yesterday was the first time that Kate had come into contact with the winner's mace and she smiled that she will try her best to win it and have the chance to take it home. She is also thankful to Mandy Cho for her support.

The hot favourite to win the contest Fala Chen from New York indicated that she was not disappointed that Kate had won yesterday because there is still another week for her to prepare. She admits that she is a little nervous, but luckily the contestants are all encouraging each other. She is not worried that she does not have the advantage of being the local delegate because this is an international contest, with entries from all over the world and everyone has a chance to win. As for the confidence to win, Fala says that of course she has it, otherwise she would not be able to perform to her very best.

The Co-ordinating manager for the pageant Chan Ka Yeung indicates that the judges for this year's contest will include Andy Lau, Cecilia Yip, Dr Robin Chan Yau-hing GBS JP EOE, The Hon Maria Chan Wai Chu and The Hon Henry Wu JP. The guest performers on the night will be Eason Chan and dancer Gigi Yiu and the show will be MC'ed by Cheng Dan Shui, Stephen Au and guest MC Joe Ngai. Mr Chan says: "Andy was very happy when we asked him to be a judge, so he agreed at once. As for the outfits, we will have swimwear, chipaos and 60's miniskirts." The judges meeting is tomorrow (24th) & the contestants will be appearing in swimsuits! GOOD LUCK GIRLS :)

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Jan 21 Miss Chinese Int' News*translated by Em, Tvbspace News Roundup
The 22 contestants from this year's Miss Chinese International Pageant went two separate ways yesterday and contestant numbers 8-11 and 17-22 visited Stanley, whilst the other girls stayed at TVB City trying on their Ming Dynasty costumes and filming. First they went to take photographs at Stanley Fort before heading into Stanley Market to go shopping. Afterwards, they enjoyed lunch at the Jumbo Floating restaurant.

After arriving at the market, they attracted many local traders and other tourists and although they were shopping, the trail of press following them made them rather unwelcome, with complaints coming from shopkeepers saying they were getting in the way.

No 20 Cecilia Liu from Montreal bought an angel headdress for No 22 Sawankwan Produbduen from Bangkok and as she was too happy, she slipped as she left the shop and as the press were too busy taking photographs of her, no-one bothered to help her up. Luckily she was fine and continued to shop away happily afterwards, buying a set of dragon-phoenix pictures for her family that signified "Safety in the Home". No 10 Fala Chen and No 12 Lena Ma [Em: this seems to be a mistake as No 12 wasn't there! Haha!] bought some doggy clothes, but the most prolific shopper was No 8 Patricia Hon from Calgary, who not only spent $600 on three pairs of shoes, she went on to buy a stone chop with her name on. Hot favourite Fala seemed rather chilly in her thin clothing and when they were having their photographs taken on Stanley beach, she was shivering with the cold. A warm hug from Kate soon warmed her up and Kate showed her friendship by helping to fix Fala's hair.

Hong Kong representative No 17 Kate Tsui played the photographer for the others throughout the trip, so she did not buy anything for herself. She laughs: "It doesn't matter because if I wanted to, I could come here any time. The most important thing is for me to be a good tour guide, group leader and interpreter because the main role of being Miss Hong Kong is to promote Hong Kong. (Some people thought you were just a tour guide and did not recognise you as Miss Hong Kong.) Really? Some people recognised me and called my name and even asked me to have my photo taken with them! (Some shopkeepers found you all obstructive and yelled at you to move on.) I did not hear them and did not notice. This trip to Stanley would have helped their business, so it is good publicity for them."

Meanwhile, five contestants were rehearsing in TVB City and were very excited about their Ming Dynasty costumes. Having been called 'ugly' by some tourists in Lantau Island the day before, No 16 Kimberley Chin from Taipei did not seem affected by this and said defiantly: "I am very confident in myself, this is not just about appearances, internal beauty is just as important." Vancouver's representative No 15 Leanne Li was asked if she was under any pressure after the previous successes of Vancouver in the contest and she said: "No pressure, as long as I do my best then that is fine."

http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/ent/20050121/img/se06012110_big.jpg
http://www.takungpao.com/news/images/20050121-ul-31.jpg

http://www.takungpao.com/news/2005-1-21/UL-356176.htm
http://orientaldaily.com.hk/ent/ent_a58cnt.html
http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/ent/20050121/20050121004839_0003.html

Jan 20th Miss Chinese Int' News *translated by Em, Tvbspace News Roundup
Contestant numbers 17 to 22 in this year's "Miss Chinese International Pageant" filmed in Qing Dynasty costumes at TVB City yesterday and this is the first time that Hong Kong representative No 17 Kate Tsui has worn period costume. She says that when she was young, she wore a Qing costume for ballet, but it was rather simplified. Riding on the back of the popularity of "War and Beauty", she feels that the costume this time is very beautiful and all the outfits and shoes have been especially made for the event. As for whether it is hard to walk in Qing palatial shoes, Kate says that it is not and she can actually walk faster than wearing heels, but she does say that the hairpiece is very heavy.

For this year's pageant, the girls will be wearing fur as well as bikinis and Kate was asked if she has been keeping fit. She says that she started her regime very early on. She adds that although she is representing Hong Kong, she still has to move into the hotel with the other contestants and for security reasons, she has to sign out when she goes out. Even when her mother brings her soup, she has to take it to TVB City to hand it to her. (For me, standouts in these costumes are HK & Montreal. Re: Swimsuits: he contestants will be wearing 2 pieces & divided into 3 groups for the swimsuit/interview portion. First group will appear in white SS with sequins, 2nd group in hot pink, 3rd group in black.)
http://www.takungpao.com/news/images/20050120-ul-16.jpg

http://www.takungpao.com/news/2005-1-20/UL-355747.htm

Jan 19th Miss Chinese Int' News*translated by AL from Mingpao
TVB arranged contestant number 6 to 11 in the Tang Dynasty costumes for their photo shoot. Among the contestants, it was Fala Chen who stole the camera spot light with her elegant figure.
Yesterday, it was also Jolene Chin’s birthday. TVB surprised Jolene with a birthday cake. Jolene said it was very memorable to have a birthday in Hong Kong with Kate Tsui and Lena Ma individually gave Jolene a dress and a pair of ear ring for presents. With most contestants are not native Cantonese speakers, communication problems are bound to happen. In particular, when Miss Thailand was learning how to say the number 19 in Cantonese, the word that came out of her mouth sounded like a swear word in Cantonese. (Calgary & NY just exudes ‘oriental charm’ in these costumes)

http://www1.appledaily.atnext.com/images/apple-photos/640pix/20050119/Article_ent/19ec4p52.jpg
http://www1.appledaily.atnext.com/images/apple-photos/640pix/20050119/Article_ent/19ec4p53.jpg
http://www1.appledaily.atnext.com/images/apple-photos/640pix/20050119/Article_ent/19ec4p54.jpg

http://www.takungpao.com/news/2005-1-19/UL-355298.htm

Forum bashers: Some of the contestants have been constantly bashed & imho …its really not fair as we don’t even know them. Yeah yeah I should talk. I’ve probably done my share in the last couple yrs…but I’m trying to stop. Bottom line is… we don’t know them & if we were in their shoes, we wouldn’t want the same thing happening to us either....think about it ok?
Filming schedule #6-11, #17-22, 12-16 for the diff dynasties.

Jan 18th Miss Chinese Int' News *translated by Em, Tvbspace News Roundup
The Miss Chinese International Pageant will be taking place on 29th January and as there is no international shoot this year, the 22 contestants have already began shooting their film clips for the final show. In order to tie in with this year's theme of "Eternal Beauty - Five Thousand Years Touching Hearts", the contestants have been split into four groups, which are Tang Dynasty, Ming Dynasty, Qing Dynasty and Dunhuang styles. The Ming girls will appear as fighters and the Qing as princesses.

The first group to be filmed were contestant numbers 1 through 5, who appeared in Dunhuang themed costumes and in line with the feeling of fairies in heaven, they had to be suspended by wires. Luckily none of the girls were afraid of heights and although they were four metres above the ground, they all had a great time. No 1 Sydney's Gaynor Chin felt rather chilly wearing the sexy Dunhuang dress and this was her first experience of wirework. She says they had begun rehearsing for this two days ago and although it was hard work being pulled up in the air, it was a lot of fun. When asked if she was used to life in Hong Kong, she says that they have three weeks to train and she is gradually adapting to it. (This girl is just gorgeous in pictures...and it makes me wonder why she wasn't placed in the top 3 in Sydney last yr...what went wrong?)

No 2 Jess Young is from Melbourne and when she was waving her ribbons around in the air, the crew praised her beautiful pose. She says that she has been learning ballet since she was three years old and did it for ten years, she then moved onto singing when she was older and has taken part in musical productions. As for the praises from the crew, she smiles: "Thank you, this was not actually that difficult or hard really. (Does this add to your confidence?) Yes, but anything to do with singing or dancing makes me confident because I have done this since I was young." As she emigrated when at a small age, she no longer has any relatives in Hong Kong, but on the 29th, her mother will be arriving in Hong Kong to support her. (#2 Jess is looking very strong these days. She's stunning in pictures & poses like a pro! The papers didn't mention much of #3 Annie & #4 Lisa (well boo them!), so I'll add in my own 2 cents. Both are gorgeous & really accomplished individuals. Annie's got a strong dance background, often chreographing dances for shows, etc. I could go on..but a lot's been said in the interview already! #4 Lisa was a part-time runway & print model as a teen. She also taught a modeling class for a leading modeling school. )

No 5 Jolene Chin hails from Kuala Lumpur and she says she likes extreme sports, so she feels that wirework is great fun. Her eyes were very red yesterday and she said that she did no know why. When jokingly asked if she was envious (Cantonese "red-eyed"), she responded in good humour: "I am envious of myself!" (Jolene is growing on me. I think she will do quite well & she seems so witty (big plus during interviews)! I'm glad she's competing this yr as she's another asset in this highly competitive field)

The remaining contestants 12 through 22 had their official portraits and measurements released today and also revealed some rather impressive figures. Among them, No 14 Kelly Wong tops the list with measurements of 35.75,25,35, closely followed by No 20 Montreal's Cecilia Liu (35,25,36) and No 21 Tahiti's Elodie Chung (34,24.75,35) together with No 15 Vancouver's Leanne Li (34,24,36) were not far behind. After the makeover, by far the most eyecatching was No 17 Kate Tsui representing Hong Kong.

After disappearing from the small screen for a little while due to problems with his record company, Eason Chan will be making his comeback for 2005 by appearing at the pageant as the special guest star. In order to show his sincerity to TVB, he will be taking a few days out of his hectic schedule to rehearse and make the performance something special.

Pictures
http://ent.tom.com/1306/1362/2005117-117989.html
http://ent.tom.com/xiezhen/050117hyxj/index.php

Articles
http://www.takungpao.com/news/2005-1-18/UL-354865.htm
http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/ent/20050118/20050117234916_0003.html
http://orientaldaily.com.hk/ent/ent_a05cnt.html

Jan 17th Charity Walk *translated by AL from Takungpao
Yesterday, the 22 contestants attended a charity walk with some of the past winners & finalist of MCI, such as Bernice Liu, Linda Chung and Shirley Yeung. It was the first time Bernice met the contestants & her impression so far is that they are very tall, slim, & the quality’s quite even. When asked what advice she would give to the contestants, Bernice said “My advice was to be herself and be happy because this is a memorable experience, don't just focusing on the winning”. She should have listened to herself 4 yrs ago…

MCI 04 Linda Chung has met the girls prior to this engagement & feels they’re tall & amazing candidates. What asked what tips she would give to the contestants, Linda said, "Remember to smile and be themselves. (Who you are rooting for?) I don't want to say to reveal any favourites, as this will cause more stress. I wish everyone will do their best, winning is not important".

It's interesting to note Vancouver representative Leanne Li went to the same University as Bernice and Linda, consequently, all three of them were invited to take a picture together. Linda told the press that in Vancouver, it was Linda herself who crowned Leanne Li. When Linda was ask if she wants to crown Leanne Li again, Linda smilingly said she won't respond to that question as she doesn't want to give Leanne any pressure.

Official pictures of #1-11 are out. This year’s official pictures are quite stunning as the contestants are dressed in low-cut strapless dresses, displaying their lovely figures. Those who attracted the press were #4 Lisa Wang (Chicago) who’s measurements are 35.5”25”36”, #3 Annie Chang (San Francisco) 34”24”34”. #7 Grace Sy (Manila) 33”24”34.5”, & #10 Fala Chen (New York) 34”24”34”.

http://www.takungpao.com/news/images/20050117-ul-36.jpg (Linda, Leanne, & Bernice)
http://www.takungpao.com/news/images/20050117-ul-31.jpg (group shot)
http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/ent/20050117/img/se07011705_big.jpg (group shot)
Official Pictures
http://www1.appledaily.atnext.com/images/apple-photos/640pix/20050117/Article_ent/17ec2p15.jpg (Manila)
http://www1.appledaily.atnext.com/images/apple-photos/640pix/20050117/Article_ent/17ec2p16.jpg (New York)
http://www.mingpaonews.com/20050117/17mf12.jpg (Chicago)
http://www.mingpaonews.com/20050117/17mf10.jpg (San Francisco)

Articles
http://www.takungpao.com/news/2005-1-17/UL-354427.htm
http://www.takungpao.com/news/2005-1-17/UL-354431.htm
http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/ent/20050117/20050117000311_0003.html
http://orientaldaily.com.hk/ent/ent_a65cnt.html

Jan 15th Misc. News
There hasn’t been much MCI news for the last couple days. The contestants have been busy with dance rehearsals, which will prepare them for the upcoming filming on location. They’ll be divided into 4 ancient Chinese dynasties (don’t ask me because I still have trouble remembering the long list…) and it should be a beautiful segment with an array of exquisite costumes.
Tomorrow (Jan 16th) will be an early start (6am) as the contestants will participate in a charity walk where they’ll be fashioned in green & pink tracksuits provided by TVB.

Delegates are meeting the judges on Jan. 24th.
Miss Calgary’s homepage: Jen L. found the website for Miss Calgary Patricia Hon! Check it out here
Jan 11th Misc. News
This morning the contestants were able to relax & watch the MCI 04 show from the previous yr, as some contestants have never viewed the show before & will now have an idea of what to expect. In the afternoon, they worked hard mastering the catwalk for 3 hrs! Wow! Tomorrow will be the promo shooting at TVB city

Jan 10th Miss Chinese Int' News *translated by Em, Tvbspace News Roundup
2005 Miss Chinese International Pageant Contestants

1 Gaynor Chin / Chan Wai Ling / Chen Hui Ling - 23 - Sydney - Student
2 Jess Young / Yeung Man Ki / Yang Wen Qi - 19 - Melbourne - Student
3 Annie Chang / Cheung Sing Ying / Zhang Sheng Ying - 25 - San Francisco - Customer Account Supervisor
4 Lisa Wang / Wong Yuet Ki / Wang Yue Qi - 22 - Chicago - Analyst
5 Jolene Chin / Chan Ying Man / Chen Ying Wen - 25 - Kuala Lumpur - Student
6 Linda Tomko / Lam Yuen Hung / Lin Wan Hong - 20 - Seattle - Student
7 Grace / Sze Kai Yi / Shi Jia Er - 21 - Manila - Student
8 Patricia Hon / Hon Wing Yan / Han Yin En - 20 - Calgary - Administration & Marketing Planning Consultant
9 Jasmine Lim / Lam Si Wai / Lin Shi Hui - 21 - Singapore - Student
10 Fala Chan / Chan Fa Lai / Chen Fa La - 22 - New York - Student
11 Jeanette Ma / Ma Chin Wai / Ma Zhan Wei - 19 - Auckland - Student
12 Lena Ma / Ma Yim Ping / Ma Yan Bing - 17 - Toronto - Student
13 Cheung Kit / Zhang Jie - 22 - Los Angeles - Student
14 Wang Sze Nga / Wang Si Ya - 18 - Brisbane - Student
15 Leanne Li / Lee Ah Nam / Li Ya Nan - 20 - Vancouver - Student
16 Kimberly Chin / Chan Ka Ka / Chen Jia Jia - 22 - Taipei - Student
17 Kate Tsui / Tsui Tze Shan / Cui Zi Shan - 25 - Hong Kong - Marketing Executive
18 Alicia Augusto Wang / Wong Suet Hung / Wang Xue Hong - 24 - Lima - Assistant Manager
19 Joyce de Jong / Ho Mei Hing / He Mei Xing - 21 - Amsterdam - Assistant Customer Manager
20 Cecilia Liu / Lau Kai / Liu Jia - 21 - Montreal - Student
21 Elodie Chung / Chung Mei Lin / Zhong Mei Lian - 21 - Tahiti - Student
22 Ying Pradubduen Na Lamphung / Sau Yi Fong / Xiu Yi Fang - 19 - Bangkok - Student

The 2005 Miss Chinese International Pageant will be taking place on 29th January and the 22 beauties from all over the world met the press for the first time yesterday and revealed their contestant numbers. Overall, the standards of the girls this year was rather ordinary (*ORDINARY?! Are they freaking kidding?! It’s the strongest in a LONG while), with the favourites already being selected as No 8 Patricia Hon from Calgary, 10 Fala Chan from New York, 15 Miss Vancouver Leanne Li, 17 Hong Kong's Kate Tsui and 19 Joyce de Jong from Amsterdam. As far as the best figures go, Number 3 Annie Chang from New York and 14 Kelly Wang from Brisbane stand out from the crowd.

However, among the girls, the most photogenic appears to be Joyce from Holland and she shows off a tattoo of her Chinese name "Mei Hing" on her right ankle. She is the first contestant to openly reveal a tattoo in the history of the contest.

After the 22 contestants introduced themselves, an arrangement was made where two of the other contestants presented Miss Bangkok and Miss Kuala Lumpur with cards expressing their best wishes for the victims of the Tsunami disaster in Malaysia and Thailand. Amsterdam's Joyce seemed rather confident and when asked if she is worried about her tattoo giving the judges a bad impression, she indicated that the tattoo was done when she was 17 and said: "I don't know, it depends on the judges, but I think it looks very beautiful and this is very much part of me." (*It’s just a small tattoo…I really don’t see what the big deal is either. It’s not like she had a sex change >< )

New York's Fala was asked how she felt about being a favourite and she said: "I am confident, I hope that I will have good luck." Currently studying at university, she is interested in entering the Hong Kong showbiz industry and has a strong interest in music.

As for Hong Kong's representative Kate, when she was asked about losing out on her figure, she said: "The judges will look at other things. I am confident."

Also, the international location shoot has been cancelled in this year's contest and the Project manager Chan Ka Yeung revealed that it will be filmed entirely in the Hong Kong studios, but the contestants will have Tang, Ming, Qing and Dunhuang style ancient costumes made for them to bring out their ancient beauty.

Picture links
http://orientaldaily.com.hk/photo/20050111/ent/0111enew24b1.jpg (LA & Brisbane)
http://www.takungpao.com/news/images/20050111-ul-11.jpg (New York & Amsterdam)
http://image2.sina.com.cn/ent/s/m/2005-01-10/U92P28T3D625034F329DT20050110184527.jpg (Brisbane & San Francisco)
http://image2.sina.com.cn/ent/s/m/2005-01-10/U92P28T3D625034F328DT20050110184527.JPG (Hong Kong, a beauty in pink)

Articles
http://orientaldaily.com.hk/ent/ent_a74cnt.html
http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/ent/20050111/20050110233326_0003.html
http://www.takungpao.com/news/2005-1-11/UL-352115.htm

Jan 9th Misc. News
Official portraits were taken today, & the press conference will be held tomorrow where their numbers will be drawn. Roommates were decided alphabetically (Miss Amsterdam & Auckland, Bangkokg & Brisbane, etc.). Everyone is enjoying themselves as the atmostphere's quite friendly.
translated by Em, Tvbspace News Roundup
A group of overseas contestants gathered at TVB City yesterday to shoot their official photographs for the Miss Chinese International Pageant that will be held on 29th January. There are reports that the representative from Amsterdam has a tattoo on her ankle and when asked about this by the press, she openly admitted to it, indicating that she has her name tattooed on her right ankle. However, when she was asked to show it for a photograph, she quickly turned and walked away.
The show's image director, Karen indicated that she had tried to use concealer to cover up the tattoo, but it looks like she has some kind of skin condition, so she has decided to openly reveal the tattoo to everyone. As for the other contestants, it was revealed in the 'official inspection' that as well as tattoos, there were also some who had belly button rings. Hong Kong representative Kate Tsui did not know about the tattoos, saying: "This is their choice and the contest rules will allow this, so I have no comment."

http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/ent/20050110/20050110000040_0003.html (Miss Amsterdam, Joyce De Jong)
Miss Taipei, Kimerbly Chin was a participant at Miss Chinese New York in 2003 where she finished as the 2nd runner-up! *Information courtesy of Teresa Choi
Miss Sydney, Gaynor Chin was also a former Miss from the Chinese Sydney pageant in 2003, where she bagged the Friendship award & 2nd Runner-ups title.

Jan 7th Contestant Arrivals*translated by AL from Appledaily
Miss Chinese International 2005 will take place on January 29, 2005. Yesterday, contestants from around the world arrived in Hong Kong International airport to take part in the competition. These contestants include Miss Amsterdam, Seattle, Sydney, Taipei, Thailand, and Auckland etc. Since most of the contestants just got off their flights, no one in particular stood out from the group. In the weeks to come, the contestants will undergo intense training in preparation for the finals.

With the recent tsunami disaster in Southeast Asia, Miss Thailand said her home is in the Northern Thailand; therefore it did not impact her home. However, it is more or less a disaster, so she is still worried about her home country.

Among the arrived contestants, it was Miss Thailand and Miss Auckland who manage to grab the attention of the typical Hong Kong press. For instance, Miss Thailand took off her jacket & posed for photographs, exposing her sexy shoulders, while Miss Auckland accidentally revealed her underwear when sitting down on a chair (ops!). In addition, Miss Taipei Kimberly Chan can speak fluent English and Mandarin and she is a well-spoken contestant, as are many of this year’s competitors.

For this competition, most contestants have done some researches on other competitors. Miss Sydney (Wang Ling) said, “I have looked at the information of other contestants, they all look very pretty. However, I think Miss New York and Miss San Francisco are the most prominent contestants. Nevertheless, I still have confidence in myself”. When the press asked Miss Malaysia (Jolene Chin) on her take on this year’s contestants, she said she will know the quality of the contestants once she sees them in person.

It was also mentioned that Miss Amsterdam (or is it Netherlands) bears a resemblance to supermodel Ana R.

Pictures
http://orientaldaily.com.hk/photo/20050108/ent/0108enew24p1.gif (Miss Thailand)
http://appledaily.atnext.com/images/apple-photos/640pix/20050108/Article_ent/08ec7p1.jpg (Miss Thailand)
http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/ent/20050108/img/se04a010810_big.jpg (Miss Thailand)
http://orientaldaily.com.hk/photo/20050108/ent/0108enew24p2.gif (Miss Amsterdam)
http://appledaily.atnext.com/images/apple-photos/640pix/20050108/Article_ent/08ec7p4.jpg (Seattle & Malaysia)
http://appledaily.atnext.com/images/apple-photos/640pix/20050108/Article_ent/08ec7p3.jpg (L-R Miss Auckland, Thailand, Chinese Taipei, Sydney)
http://singpao.com/20050108/photos/m659972SP.jpg (L-R Miss Chinese Taipei, Auckland, Sydney, Thailand)
http://appledaily.atnext.com/images/apple-photos/640pix/20050108/Article_ent/08ec7p2.jpg (Miss Auckland)

Articles:
http://orientaldaily.com.hk/ent/ent_a24cnt.html
http://singpao.com/20050108/gossip/659971.html
http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/ent/20050108/20050108000016_0003.html

Jan 6th Miss Chinese Int' News *translated by AL from Takungpao
Today, Miss Hong Kong 2004 winner Kate Tsui told the press that she is about to bound for Miss Chinese International training camp & therefore, will not be attending a charity concert for the tsunami victims in S.E. Asia. To prepare for MCI, Kate has been keeping in shape, hoping to give a good performance. Even though, Kate loves to eat potato chips, she has already discontinued her habit of eating chips and concentrated on putting on more facial masks.

This year's theme is associated with five thousand years of Chinese history, & Kate has been studying hard, brushing up on her ancient Chinese history. In addition, there is a great possibility that the contestants will be wearing traditional clothing. When asked what kind of traditional clothing she would like to wear, Kate said she wants to wear Mongolian costume. (I wonder who's designing it? *shivers) Despite the fact the contestants will not be travelling to China for outdoor filming, Kate said it may not be a bad thing as there are various places in Hong Kong that she has never been to, such as Nam Sang Village and Kut Hing Village.

http://www.takungpao.com/news/images/20050107-ul-13.jpg

Contestants will be arriving tomorrow midday (Jan 7th). Toronto's Lena Ma left on her 18 hr flight this morning at 9am(EST), while the other contestants (Vancouver, Chicago, San Francisco, Kuala Lumpur,letc.) are on their way. Miss Tahiti (Elodie Chung) arrived Tues, while there are rumours Bangkok has arrived in HK as well.
Awards: From the official website, only 4 awards will be presented. Top 3 & Miss Friendship. Maybe they will add an Oriental Charm award? It would be quite suitable for 2005!
Ennis has updated her Miss Chinese Int' Galleries! Check it out

Beauties with a purpose
Hong Kongs Kate Tsui recently sang at a charity event raising money for the Tsunami disaster.
Toronto's Lena Ma - was at Toronto's Market Village on Jan 2nd performing a dance piece with her runner-ups also raising money for the Tsunami disaster. At the same event (diff. cities), Vancouvers Leanne Li was at Aberdeen Center performing the flute. *courtesy of Ennis, Lena, & Helen
5 Unknown beauties
With helpful information from ppl around the world, we were able to compile a list of the contestants at MCI 2005. However 5 are still unknown. Will they hail from Brisbane, Chinese Taipei, Hawaii, Johannesburg, LA, Manila, or Sydney? Theres also a rumour going on in the MHKB forum about the 5 contestants hailing from parts of China (beijing, shanghai, chongqing, shenzhen and tianjin).

Dec 31 2004 Miss Chinese International News *translated by Em, Tvbspace News Roundup
The "2005 Miss Chinese International Pageant" will be taking place at TVB City on 29th January and the motto this year will be "Eternal Beauty - Touching Hearts for 5000 years". A press conference was held yesterday to mark the event by the organising committee and taking part were the Deputy Co-ordinating Manager Rosa Chan, Producer Chan King Yau and last year's winners Linda Chung and Mandy Cho as well as this year's Miss Hong Kong representatives Kate Tsui, Queenie Chu and Fu Sze Sze. In order to show their support for Hong Kong's Kate, they each presented her with a gift and a card.

Producer Chan indicated that this year's event will not have any location filming and everything will take place in the studio. The 22 representatives from around the world will arrive in Hong Kong on 7th January and take part in an event as part of the Jade Solid Gold Music Awards on 8th January. *NOTE: The slogan is from an ancient Chinese poem, & there will not be a talent segment this year.

Representing Hong Kong at the pageant, Kate is confident after receiving the wishes from her predecessors and she is happy that she is so confident. She says: "I feel that my performance in Miss Hong Kong was not bad, so I hope that I can keep to that standard at this contest. As well as doing sport recently, I have also been reading up on Chinese history to tie in with this year's theme." When asked if she feels pressure with Hong Kong not having taken the title since Sonija Kwok, Kate says she will do her best and hopes people will not put too much pressure on her because she will perform better if she is relaxed on the night, just like when she won Miss Hong Kong. When asked if she has been on the internet to look up the other contestant's info, she says that the photos on the net are rather small, so she can not tell very much. She just knows that many of them are very tall, but she is not afraid of losing out on this front as she has a very balanced figure.

After winning the contest last year, Linda Chung has furthered her career in Hong Kong and she feels that she has had a very fulfilling year. When asked if she has any advice for Kate, she says that Kate has already done very well at Miss Hong Kong, so she must already have plenty of tips and a lot of confidence. Linda adds: "I feel that MCI has brought me many things, including meeting girls from all over the world, so I have somewhere to stay wherever I go now." As for New Year's Eve celebrations, Linda will be spending the time wokring, but after filming finishes for "Virtues of Harmony", she will have two weeks vacation, where she will be nursing her health to prepare for new work as well as polishing up her Cantonese because there are still some words she cannot pronounce correctly.

Mandy Cho was last year's MCI runner up and thinking back to the three weeks training they had in the hotel, she felt it was hard work to start with but then there was not enough time. During this time, she had a very happy experience with the other contestants and they all formed a bond with each other, so it was a shame they all had to scatter at the end and head back to different places. They keep in touch by email now and she sees Linda and Vivien Yeo the most as they are both working for TVB now.

Does Mandy have any tips for Kate? She says that the most important thing is to enjoy the experience and not to let people give her too much pressure. She says: "The contestants from the other places come to Hong Kong for the pageant alone, so to represent Hong Kong, then you should try to give them the warmth of home. Last year, I tried to make everyone feel like they were on holiday and in the end they repaid my hospitality by voting for me in the "Miss Friendship" award." As for whether she has been on the internet to check the standards of the other contestants, Mandy believes that the standard is quite high this year, like those last year. As Jessica Chui from last year's contest has signed for a Mainland film company, Mandy tried to contact her whilst working in China recently, but was unable to. She says that as they are both very busy, then it is difficult to keep in touch.

For this year's New Year's Eve, Mandy will be having a party at home and she says that she does not like having too many people around, so most of her celebrations will be at home. As for the recent tsunami disaster, Mandy says she wants to donate money to the appeal, but does not know how to, so she hopes there will soon be some clear instructions from the organisations. When Mandy took part in Miss Hong Kong, she filmed on location in Phuket and she sighs: "Seeing the destruction in the area now, I don't knoww when we will be able to go back there again." Talking of the number of people dead in this disaster, Mandy says that the worst hit are the children because what was supposed to be a happy holiday has turned into an ordeal where parents have been lost and it is very heart wrenching.

Courtesy of Ennis

Kate Tsui Tsi Shan yesterday worked on the Miss Chinese International promotion at the Tseung Kwan O TVB city. Coincidentally Niki Chow Lai Kei was working on a wire scene for her TVB series SAU CHOI YU JEUK BING at the same location. When the stunt team and the crew saw Kate passed by they said, "Who is this pretty girl? Is she a reporter? Her dress is so short and so sexy!" Chow Lai Kei while tying her wire screamed, "Don't just look at the girl! Hurry and help me with this wire. Don't let me fall!"

Kate revealed that she will begin training with the other candidates on January 7 and the competition will start on the 29th.
http://www.the-sun.com.hk/channels/ent/20041228/img/se05122810_big.jpg