2020 Miss Hong Kong Pageant Cancelled

Who are the most successful contestants ever? Here’s our list!

By Leslie Chen

April 9, 2020 at 6:13:57 am

TVB decided to cancel the 2020 Miss Hong Kong Pageant (香港小姐競選) due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a first since its inception in 1973. The 3 winners in 2019 – Carmaney Wong (黃嘉雯), Fei Wong (王菲), and Kelly Gu (古佩玲) will get to keep their titles for 2 years, marking another first in the pageant’s 48-year history. The 2020 Miss Chinese International Pageant (國際中華小姐競選) was also cancelled earlier on.

The Miss Hong Kong Pageant has been a cradle for promising stars over the past 4 decades, as the winners would typically obtain television contracts from TVB. However, its ratings have been dropping in recent years, and in 2019, the viewership reached a record low.

Netizens were rather calm about the cancellation, and many have expressed: “Back in the older days, the contestants looked way more beautiful.” As the ideals of beauty evolved throughout the years, let’s agree to disagree on the above statement. In the meantime, we have prepared a list of the most successful contestants throughout the past 48 years of the Miss Hong Kong Pageant.

Cherie Chung (鍾楚紅)
Third Runner-up, 1979

Although Cherie Chung only won third runner-up in 1979, her acting career took off rapidly, and her 1987 movie An Autumn’s Tale (秋天的童話) with Chow Yun Fat (周潤發) is among one of the most successful romantic films in Hong Kong. Known as the “Marilyn Monroe” of Hong Kong, the retired actress still looks as charming at the age of 60.

Maggie Cheung (張曼玉)
First Runner-up & Miss Photogenic, 1983

Maggie Cheung is undoubtedly one of the most representative Hong Kong actresses. A 5-time winner of Hong Kong Film Award (香港電影金像獎) for Best Actress, Maggie Cheung has also garnered international reputation and awards for her acclaimed performances in Center Stage (阮玲玉), Comrades: Almost a Love Story (甜蜜蜜), In the Mood for Love (花樣年華), and Clean (錯的多美麗).

Michelle Reis (李嘉欣)
Miss Hong Kong, 1988

Known as “the most beautiful Miss Hong Kong”, Michelle Reis signed her contract with TVB following the pageant, and built her career in television series and eventually movies. She doesn’t appear on screen a lot these days, but whenever we see her on social media, she surely looks glamorous!

Anita Yuen (袁詠儀)
Miss Hong Kong & Miss Photogenic, 1990

Anita Yuen quickly became the most sought-after Hong Kong actress following her wins of the Hong Kong Academy Best Actress for 2 consecutive years, respectively for C’est la vie, mon chéri (新不了情) and He’s a Woman, She’s a Man (金枝玉葉). Apart from her ageless looks, she has just celebrated her 19th anniversary with Julian Cheung (張智霖), who teased on Weibo: “19 years. This woman still blushed when we took the photo together.” The couple joined the reality show Viva La Romance 2 (妻子的浪漫旅行2) in 2019, and one can clearly see that they are very much in love indeed!

Ada Choi (蔡少芬)
Second Runner-up, 1991

Ada Choi was known for her great acting skills and her popularity soared in recent years for her brilliant portrayal of the Empress in Empresses in the Palace (後宮甄嬛傳). She just had a newborn last November – can you tell that she is a mother of 3?!

Charmaine Sheh (佘詩曼)
Second Runner-up, 1997

Make way for another empress! With her incredible achievements in television, Charmaine Sheh reached another career-high for her performance in Story of Yanxi Palace (延禧攻略). She seems to have a recipe for eternal youth – at 44, she looks just the same as her pageant days!

https://www.hotpot.tv/news/2020-miss-hong-kong-pageant-cancelled