Miss Chinese International 2019

[samuel]

The time has arrived! The 30th annual Miss Chinese International Pageant will be held at a later time this year. For the first time since 2013, the pageant will NOT be held befor Lunar New Year. It will be held in March. It is also reported that the girls will be arriving in Hong Kong on February 19th. There are also rumors that the pageant will re-use the previous Chinese name (國際華裔小姐競選) instead of the current name (國際中華小姐競選). I always felt that the old title was more suitable than the current one since the overseas delegation is much more highly represented than the Mainland cities. And, there was a separate Mainland pageant held back in the days but now.. only the winner of Miss Pearl River is represented (namely representing "Foshan").

There are still some delegates yet to be crowned/appointed, i.e. London, Bangkok, Laos, Hawaii, and San Francisco. London is organizing Miss China Europe pageant for first time since 2011! Their winner will represent London at MCI, returning to the pageant for the first time since 2012. It is unknown if Laos, Hawaii, and Bangkok will return to the pageant, esp. the latter who didn't send a representative to the pageant for the first time last year since.. 1989!! Hopefully more girls will compete, since having anything less than 16 girls is disappointing (unless the batch is very competitive, like seen in 2016).

Chicago will not return again (quite surprising given their winner in 2012 AND competing since 1989). The city has not returned since 2015. A regional Chinese pageant is held in the city but the winner only competes in Miss Chinatown USA. Interestingly, another American city is also following the same path.. Seattle. The city hasn't compete since 2015 and has another regional Chinese pageant, but the winner competes in another pageant..

It will be interesting which girl San Francisco plans on sending. The current Miss Chinatown USA (Jasmine Lee) has a lot of pageant experience and comes from a pageant family (her older sister also won Miss Chinatown USA and was 1st RU at Miss America 2014). Alt. a former Miss Chinatown USA won MCI (Rose Li) last year, I don't think Jasmine is the best choice for MCI. She doesn't seem to be very fluent in Chinese and her looks doesn't seem to be TVB's taste. But.. her pageant experience/talent will be her strongest assets. We will see who represents San Francisco this year.

[samuel]

Now on to the list of confirmed girls. Seems like the HK press favorites will be Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, and Vancouver this year. London will be a favorite if the girl with Singapore roots get crowned. She is stunning!

Back to the current crowned girls. Hera is the facially prettiest girl crowned so far. She has the height and figure as well. My only critique will be her sash and interview. While the HK sash is strong and has the most top 3 placements in the pageant, the city has only won three times in the last 31 years (no contest was organized in 1991 and 2011). Hera will need to be on an exceptional performance, esp. tightening her talent, interview, and confidence in order to win. I have her for as a shoo-in for top 5 right now, top 3 is very likely.

Kuala Lumpur seems to be the girl-next door type. She has one of the prettier faces in this year's pageant and if she can step it up in interview and stage presence, she can walk away with the title. Some Baidu fans seem to like her, some don't. We'll see how she does. I have her in top 5 so far.

Vancouver is another major powerhouse at the pageant. Despite not placing in the top 3 since 2000, the city has gone on to win SEVEN titles ever since! While some wins were questionable, the city has enjoyed a lot of success in the past 2 decades and this year's girl will likely benefit from a rather non-competitive year. Vancouver's major disadvantages though is her height and age. That is why some Baidu fans are not seeing it for Vancouver this year. But, who knows? She has one of the prettier faces and gave a great performance at Miss Chinese Vancouver. And, a pattern is working in her favor - Vancouver has a three year chain of wins tracing back to 2001 (with wins in 2001, 2004, 2010, 2013, and 2016). Will she continue that trend or will she break it like the 2007's representative? Time will tell. I have her in top 5 so far.

Another girl to watch out will definitely be New York. For pageant fans and viewers that have watched the pageant, they will notice that the city has placed in the top 5 every year since 2014! Four of those placements are top 3, with two back-to-back wins since 2017. Can NY win a three-peat like in Miss America 2015? Time will tell. As of right now, I have my city in the slightly lower rankings - top 5. Gina is also one of the facially prettier girls and with a strong sash, she will likely make the first cut (top 10 if there is). But, she is not as strong as her predecessors. Having watched the Miss Chinese 2018 Pageant (formerly known as Miss New York Chinese), Gina's performance was a little underwhelming. Her interview answers weren't impressive, which is a little surprising given how NY is known for strong interview girls (see 2010-2016 MCI interviews). While 2017-2018 reps. won despite not so strong interviews, they had excellent talents and Gina did not perform a very solid talent in regionals. She decided to lip-sync a song and this will likely be one of the not so-strong talents at MCI. Singing is usually very difficult to execute in any competition - unless the contestant is really talented and has strong vocals, it not recommended to sing at MCI. Out of the pageant's 29 year history, ONLY ONE winner has won while singing - Grace Chan in 2014. Her performance was also criticized at the time and there was a final question round after talent that year (the first and only time so far).

It has been almost half a year since Gina was crowned and maybe she has learned a new talent since then? It will be interesting to see how NY performs - will the streak continue or will the city follow Miss Colombia's footsteps at Miss Universe 2018? Time will tell!

That's a quick wrap up for now. More commentary and analysis of each contestant to come later. Stay tuned!

[samuel]

The girls are arriving in Hong Kong for the pageant to be held on March 2, 2019! A press conference should be held soon (alt. TVB tends to announce events a day before it is held nowadays..). Favorites will be chosen and it seems like the press favorites will likely be - London, Hong Kong, Laos, and maybe Kuala Lumpur. London quickly became a favorite after she was chosen to compete in MCI. I think she is one of the prettier girls this year alt. some of the contestants that surprisingly did not make the London top 3 this year - were also facially stunning. Actually, some of the London contestants (or Miss China UK as they named the pageant) could've compete in other cities and fare well too.

Hopefully a panel of 5-7 judges can be selected to judge this year's pageant. I feel that having a celebrity panel (which consist of mostly recurring artistes) is not well suited in judging a beauty pageant. Some feel that the judges may be a little biased and not independent (they are TVB employees). If the contest is star search, then maybe having an artiste panel is suitable (alt. the pageant is like star search nowadays...). The pageant is no longer geared towards finding the girl who can promote Chinese culture and values.

And, let's put the focus on the girls. If they feel like the viewers are tuning in to see the artistes.. then maybe they can have a separate segment for the artistes and the girls together (like back in the early 90s). Asking the artistes who are their favorites every 10 mins makes the pageant not as smooth.. If they are judging the pageant, asking for their input is great since we can know who is doing well at that moment but if their votes don't matter at all (like in 2017, 2018), why bother? That time can be better used for other things - adding a musical performance; more time for talent or Q & A; etc. Put the focus on the girls rather than the celebrity panel.

[samuel]

Onto the analysis of each contestant. Here is the list of 19 girls that will be competing in this year's Miss Chinese International Pageant! Btw, I always prefer when they have the girls pick numbers. It's unfair when the same cities come out first/last.

Bangkok - Tavee Ruechanok Meesang
Brisbane - Joanne Thai
Foshan - Huaiwen Zhang
Hawaii - Stephanie Hui-Yuan Wang
Hong Kong - Hera Chan
Kuala Lumpur - Jovane Phang
London - Lisa He
Laos - Lucy Vongpaseuth
Los Angeles - Catherine Liang
Manila - Marie Que
Melbourne - Finola Xie
Montreal - Ivy Hu
New York - Gina Wu
San Francisco - Maggie Huang
Singapore - Michelle Poa
Sydney - Sylvia Zhu
Tahiti - Morgane Yueng
Toronto - Summer Yang
Vancouver - Alice Lin

[samuel]

Bangkok - Tavee Ruechanok Meesang

Tavee is one of the least facially attractive girls Thailand has sent in recent years. The city has placed every year since 2012 (except 2018 since no rep. was sent last year). I think top 10 is not impossible but with the addition of many other girls, the pageant is shaping up to be very competitive. I think the streak will end this year.

Brisbane - Joanne Thai

I always felt that TVB Australia will sent a third girl to MCI since the nation-wide pageant holds many local preliminaries - even in cities like Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide. Maybe the latter two cities will debut in the near future? Anyhow, Brisbane is being represented this year, the last time the city competed was way back in 2005! Joanne has a great smile but I will need to see her talent as TVB Australia doesn't put the pageant online (unlike Toronto or New York). Top 10 is likely.

Foshan - Huaiwen Zhang

Huaiwen is representing China this year as she remains the only Mainland entrant in this year's pageant.. TVB, please switch the pageant name back to it's original Chinese name.. China is not highly represented at all nowadays. I think the Mainland will miss the semifinals for the first time since 2015 as I think Huaiwen is not strong enough.

Hawaii - Stephanie Hui-Yuan Wang

A very pleasant surprise from the American Island! Stephanie has an extensive pageant track record with placements in every pageant she competed - Miss Hawaii USA and some other Chinese American pageants. I think she has the catwalk, language (she speaks Mandarin), body, confidence, talent to do well. Hawaii is stepping it up at MCI and may record their best placement in MCI (their best placement is top 10 in 1995/2018). I have her in top 5 so far.

Hong Kong - Hera Chan

Hera has the beauty, height, and figure (even though it was reported that she gained some weight after Lunar New Year). She has the characteristics to win but lacks some confidence and interview skills. If she can display confidence and a good catwalk, she can win as I find her talent to be decent enough. I have her in top 3 right now.

Kuala Lumpur - Jovane Phang

Some fans think that Jovane and Hera are similar - personality wise as both seem to be the girl-next-door type. I think she is one of the facially prettier girls but KL seems to struggle in talent so we'll see how she performs. She will need to boost her confidence to do well. I have her in top 10 right now.

London - Lisa He

Many feel that Lisa is the most stunning girl crowned in this year's line-up. She has the height, body, age (21), facial beauty to do well in this year's pageant. If TVB is looking for the next fan-da, she is the one. My only critique about Lisa is that she did not compete in a regional pageant - she was chosen through a local audition. Her predecessors were winners of an actual pageant so I'm not sure if she received enough training to do well at MCI. As of right now though, she is in my top 3 as she has my qualities of a winner.

Laos - Lucy Vongpaseuth

What a stunning face! If she competed in another international pageant, e.g. Miss Universe/ Miss World, she will likely receive a lot of attention. At Miss Chinese International, biracial ladies tend to fare better - Michele Reis, Sonija Kwok, Jennifer G. but not as much for Southeast Asians. Her language barrier will be her main obstacle but if she can speak decent English, talent, catwalk, body, making top 3 is not impossible. I have her in top 10 so far.

Los Angeles - Catherine Liang

I think Catherine is one of the weaker American entrants in this year's pageant. She has the height but is not as strong facially or performance-wise. She had over a year to prep for the pageant so we'll see how she does.

Manila - Marie Que

I'm not sure if Marie can speak Mandarin like her predecessors. She can make top 10 if she pulls off a good performance but I'm not too sure about Manila this year.

Melbourne - Finola Xie

She was the winner of Miss Australia Chinese and given how well Australia has done since the pageant's establishment (except last year), Finola can do well. I don't think she is TVB's cup of tea but with proper training, top 10 is possible.


Montreal - Ivy Hu

Some really like Ivy and I think she has the height and decent facial beauty but may be a little too young (17). Unlike their sister Canadian cities, Montreal is not supported by Fairchild or a well established pageant organization so the city usually doesn't receive adequate training. Top 10 is possible but I don't think Ivy will make top 3.

New York - Gina Wu

As a fellow New Yorker, I would dream to see New York win a historic three-peat but I don't think Gina is strong enough as of this moment. She will need to speak Cantonese during interviews as I feel TVB favors Cantonese speakers over Mandarin speakers (unless your Mandarin is much better than Cantonese). Hopefully, she learned a new talent for now. She will not win if she lip-syncs for the talent segment. Her interview answers weren't particularly sharp (during the NY pageant) and hence I have her in top 10 right now. Her catwalk and confidence are her strongest assets.

San Francisco - Maggie Huang

I think Maggie is more suited for MCI than Jasmine Lee as Maggie seems to know more about Chinese culture. That will help her in interviews. Her talent seems decent so top 10 is quite possible.

Singapore - Michelle Poa

Singapore is always a mystery because the pageant is not broadcast (or available online) and very limited information is available online. Training also seems to be an issue for this country so she is not on my list as of right now. We'll see more as time passes.

Sydney - Sylvia Zhu

Sylvia is also a question mark. Some like her but I'm not completely sold. Will need to see more of her as time passes.

Tahiti - Morgane Yueng

Morgane has the exotic factor but like many of her predecessors, the French Territory lacks proper training for their reps. Not speaking Chinese will also be a major obstacle she will need to overcome. But, she seems to have a great personality and if she can speak good English, top 10 is not impossible.

Toronto - Summer Yang

Summer managed to win a number of favorites at Miss Chinese Toronto. Many don't really like her because of her mature looks and age but I think she has a decent talent and height. Top 10 is possible since the city is under Fairchild's leadership.


Vancouver - Alice Lin

Still considered the powerhouse at MCI, Alice is representing Vancouver this year. If the trend of 3 year wins continue, Alice may be the 8th Vancouverite to win MCI. I thought she gave a good performance at MCV but her age and height (5'3") may be her biggest obstacles from winning MCI. I have her in top 10 right now.

And, that's a wrap-up for now, hopefully more photos and videos will be available as the pageant starts. Good luck ladies!

[samuel]

So it seems like there are some last minute changes to the line up. Some girls showed up, some didn't. Manila will not be competing after placing in the semifinals for two years in a row. Foshan will also withdraw for the first time since 2016 (prior to that it was 2006!). Quite surprising given that both cities competed last year. It is great though that TVB is trying to recruit returning and new cities to compete (Brisbane, Meizhou, Chicago) because it shows that they still care about the 31 year old pageant. They don't want participation levels to fall below the record low 14 count back in 2016.

Let's give some quick thoughts on the girls that were not mentioned above.

#3 Chicago

She represents a actress on TVB. She has the height and speaks Mandarin but may not be what TVB is looking for. Top 10 is possible but will be a challenge for this American city. It is great to see Chicago return to the MCI stage though because they last compete in 2015 and produced one winner - Kelly Cheung in 2012.

#10 Meizhou

Foshan and Manila are out this year and Meizhou becomes Mainland's only entrant. China haven't performed particularly well at MCI after it first participated in 2007. The name change has only gathered one representative per year... Anyhow, she is quite tall (even taller than Hong Kong and Montreal) and actually is one of the prettier girls this year. Her figure is decent so she is one to lookout for her. I think top 10 is possible but top 5 will be a climb as China's record has not been stellar at this pageant. Their highest placement was 2nd runner up in 2008 and there were super strong Mainland entrants that year.

[samuel]

And two awards were presented at an event yesterday. The judges were TVB artistes - Toby Chan, Louisa Mak, and Telford Wong. Toby was MSHK 2010 and top 6 finalist at MCI 2010. Louisa was MSHK 2015 and became the first HK rep. in 2016 to not make the top 5 since Aimee Chan in 2007.

The Fitness Body award went to #11 Melbourne

The Fitness Vitality award went to #4 Hawaii

Not too surprising that #4 Hawaii won this award as she has one of the best figures in this year's line up.

Btw, Chicago is represented by Ida Duan and Meizhou is represented by Kitty Huang.

[samuel]

So my preliminary picks for Miss Friendship are:

#1 Bangkok (seems bubbly)
#3 Chicago
#7 Laos
#9 Los Angeles
#12 Montreal (youthful, reminds me of Miss Friendship 2014)
#15 Singapore
#17 Tahiti (radiant smile)
#18 Toronto

[samuel]

Here is the complete lineup of ladies competing for Miss Chinese International 2019:

1. Bangkok - Tavee Ruechanok Meesang

2. Brisbane - Joanne Thai

3. Chicago - Ida Duan

4. Hawaii - Stephanie Hui-Yuan Wang

5. Hong Kong - Hera Chan

6. Kuala Lumpur - Jovane Phang

7. Laos - Lucy Vongpaseuth

8. London - Lisa He

9. Los Angeles - Catherine Liang

10. Meizhou - Kitty Huang

11. Melbourne - Finola Xie

12. Montreal - Ivy Hu

13. New York - Gina Wu

14. San Francisco - Maggie Huang

15. Singapore - Michelle Poa

16. Sydney - Sylvia Zhu

17. Tahiti - Morgane Yueng

18. Toronto - Summer Yang

19. Vancouver - Alice Lin

[samuel]

There are a few changes to my initial thoughts after seeing the girls in the press conference. Initially, I had Bangkok out of top 10 but right now, I have her back in the game. She seems bubbly and confident.

Laos was in my top 10 before but looked much exotic in photos than in person. I think Laos may be out of the game for two years in a row.

So here it is for now. Good luck ladies!

[samuel]

Predictions for Miss Chinese International 2019 as of Feb. 24, 2019:

Top 5: Hawaii, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, London, New York

Top 10: Bangkok, Melbourne, San Francisco, Tahiti, Vancouver

Miss Friendship: Los Angeles, Bangkok, Toronto

A few changes since Feb. 20th and I expect more changes to come

[samuel]

Miss Bangkok wins Miss Friendship! She was my second pick to win Friendship as she seems very bubbly. Los Angeles was my pick to win Miss Friendship but I am not surprised that the ladies chose Miss Bangkok.

[samuel]

Tonight is the night! The 30th annual Miss Chinese International Pageant would be held in TVB City. Nineteen contestants will vie for the title, the most since 2012.
For the first time ever, Miss Hong Kong will not be present to crown her successor. Juliette Louie, 2nd RU last year and MSHK 2017 will not be in HK to crown the 2nd RU. Interestingly, MSHK 2003 Tiffany Lam did not join TVB but went back to HK to crown her 1st RU in MCI 2004. Last year's Miss Friendship (Crystal Yang of Hawaii), 1st RU (Angela Liu from Los Angeles), and of course winner Rose Li of New York will be in attendance to crown their successors. I am quite surprised to see last year's Miss Friendship and 1st RU return as both are currently living in the US and it's not easy to travel so far in today's age. It's normal for the whole court to return to HK in the early days but not in recent years.

And TVB has decided to return the Elegant judging panel (consisting of TVB artistes again...). They will express and vote for their favorites but this will NOT affect the scoring. When will TVB end this format?? I rather the artistes have some dancing segment with the girls (or interactions with them) as it seems a little meaningless to have them vote for their favorites...

So here are my picks? Will I predict the winner for the third straight year? Here are my thoughts of each girl first:

1. Bangkok

Tavee seems very bubbly and outgoing. Her smile, confidence, and fluent English will put her as a darkhorse to make top 5. However, it seems unlikely that she'll make it further than top 10 as non-Chinese contestants are at a major disadvantage at MCI. It's likely that she'll continue the Thai streak though.

2. Brisbane

Some like Joanne. I think she is getting some attention because of her pole dance and win for Most Well Liked Audience. I have her as a darkhorse as she lacks some stage presence and confidence.

3. Chicago

Ida's musical performance was great and made the top 4 for the Most Well Liked Audience Performances. I don't have her in the top 10 though as I think TVB is not going for her look.

4. Hawaii

A lot of people like Stephanie because of her figure and confidence. She has a lot of pageant experience and some delegates feel that she can go all the way. I think her age (27) and rather mature look will put her at a disadvantage to win. We'll see how she does.

5. Hong Kong

Hera is tall and one of the prettier girls this year and carries the Hong Kong sash so it is no surprise that she is favored to win. I think she will likely fall a little short though because Hong Kong reps. tend to not win MCI (only 3 MSHKs have won MCI). It also seems that she hasn't improved a lot since her MSHK days as some find her walk and speaking skills to be not as polished as her predecessors. Her talent may be eye-catching (aero-yoga) and may bring her into the top 3.

6. Kuala Lumpur

Jovane has a very sweet look and radiant smile. The HK press tend to like these type of contestants but at MCI (esp. in recent years), girl-next-door contestants tend not to fare as well as back in the days. I think that she will outshined by the other contestants. It is also rumored that she almost couldn't compete this year because TVB and Astro had a contract dispute. We'll see how she does though, her talent is actually decent as Malaysian reps. tend to pale in this area.

7. Laos

Lucy looks more photogenic than telegenic. She speaks Mandarin and hence is a plus at MCI. But, she will likely be outshined by many of the other contestants as most of the favorites lie besides her (#4 - #6 and #8). It's great to see the exotic country send their 2nd rep. though.

8. London

Lisa is definitely the one to watch out tonight. She has all the qualities that TVB is looking for in an actress - age, height, looks, dancing, and the sweet aura. It was also rumored that the pageant (typically held before Lunar New Year) was postponed to March this year because the UK pageant was held in late December. A special casting was held and Lisa was selected among a competitive batch to represent London at MCI. I think Lisa is one of the shoo-ins for top 5 and her top 3 placement will depend on how she performs tonight. Her drawback though is probably a lack of pageant experience/ preparation as the UK pageant organization was recently reassembled (London last competed in 2012).

9. Los Angeles

Catherine has a bright and height but is considered one of the cold doors this year. The LA pageant org. has been improving in recent years but LA is likely to fall a little short this year.

10. Meizhou

Kitty was one of my favorites initially as she has a great look and height. But, she hasn't been standing out in videos and social media as much as I expected from her. The sash will likely not do her many favors so we'll see how she performs.

11. Melbourne

Finola is definitely growing on many fans and is considered a darkhorse tonight. She has one of the fittest figures and shined in many of the events. We'll see if she can be the first Melbourne rep. to make the top 5.

12. Montreal

Ivy was also one of the fan favorites initially as she's tall and youthful. But, like many of her predecessors, it is evident that she isn't properly trained for MCI. Unlike the Canadian sister pageants (Toronto and Vancouver), the former French colony does not have a well-established pageant organization in place and tends to trail in the medal count. We'll see how Ivy does tonight.

13. New York

As a New Yorker, I honestly was not impressed with the batch of girls last year vying to compete in MCI. It seemed likely that NY's dominance at MCI (four straight top 3 placements, including two back-to-back wins in 2017 and 2018) will likely end when Gina was crowned. But.. boy did the NY org. prepare her! She is in it to win it! Her styling is a major importance (well maybe TVB has better stylists lol) but she is very confident, has a great walk, and shined in many of the public events. Her smile and Cantonese makes her stand out in a year of mainly Mandarin-speaking ladies. I think she will surprise a lot of people as she seems to enjoy the pageant and doesn't seem pressured to win a three-peat for the Big Apple. Her biggest drawback to win? Will TVB allow a three-peat? This has never happened in the pageant's history before. The last time a city has placed in the top 3 for five straight years (or editions) is Hong Kong in 1988-1993 (just if you're wondering, there was no pageant held in 1990). Will TVB intervene? We'll see.

14. San Francisco

Maggie was considered one of the cold doors this year but is standing out as the pageant progressed. She received some criticism for denying what work she does (some sales-related work) but she is one of the few Cantonese speakers this year and has a lot of confidence. She is actually one of the darkhorses to make top 10 and I wouldn't be surprised if she does.

15. Singapore

Michelle is very youthful but her situation is similar to Montreal. I think the Asian city is out this year. She can definitely speak Cantonese as it is one of her biggest assets.

16. Sydney

Some like Sylvia but I think the Australian city is out for a second year in a row. She has not really stood out in the eyes of many pageant observers and HK media. She has a great smile and height though.

17. Tahiti

A lot of fans like Morgane. She speaks decent English and has a joyful smile. She is a darkhorse to make top 10 and is probably one of the best Tahitian reps in recent years.

18. Toronto

I think Summer stood out in Miss Chinese Toronto with her wit and talent performance. As much as I like this Canadian city, I think Toronto is out again this year. Summer's look is way too mature and a lot of pageant watchers are not feeling her. Toronto was once a powerhouse at MCI in the 90s and early 00s but has been on a drought since Candy Chang's 2nd RU placement in 2010. The pageant has been crowning rather... subpar winners in the last decade and is not faring as well as it used to be.

19. Vancouver

Hailing from the most successful region in MCI history, a lot of Big Big Channel viewers like Alice. She has one of the most beautiful eyes in this year's pageant. But her biggest drawbacks is her height (5'3") and age (26). She is not shining as much as her predecessors do and hence I think the three year chain of wins (tracing back to 2001 with a break in 2007) will likely be broken this year. Alice is still a strong contestant to make top 10 and maybe top 5 though.

[samuel]

Without further ado, here are the final predictions:

Miss Chinese International 2019 Predictions:

WINNER: #13 New York

1st RU: #8 London

2nd RU: #5 Hong Kong

Top 5 Finalists: #4 Hawaii and #6 Kuala Lumpur

Top 10 Semifinalists: #19 Vancouver, #11 Melbourne, #1 Bangkok, #17 Tahiti, #2 Brisbane

Close-shots: #14 San Francisco and #10 Meizhou

Miss Friendship: #1 Bangkok (already announced)

Picking #13 New York as the winner is a big gamble as New York has won for the past two years. It seems that TVB may object a three peat. But, Gina has shown a lot of confidence and has stood out among the batch of ladies. She also reinforced her talent from singing to dancing which is also a positive. New York is known for surprise wins (1999 and 2017) and Gina may add to that list. Her fate will be determined by the panel of five judges consisting of Joe Ma, Moses Chan, Rebecca Zhu, Kelly Cheung, and Christine Guo. Will they select her?

#8 Lisa follows in a close second. She reminds me a lot like Fala Chen - sweet and full of fadan quality; but falls a little short in terms of preparation. I would not be surprised if she wins though as she seems to be heavily favored and would be a great TVB actress.

#5 Hera scored points for her height and figure and her talent may be interesting but she is a little too sweet. She needs to step up her game to win a 4th title for Hong Kong.

#4 Stephanie has one of the best bodies in the competition. If she nails the interview, she will make top 5. But, her talent was a little bit underwhelming. She is no doubt one of the strongest and heavily favored Hawaiian representative in the pageant's history.

#6 Jovane is beautiful but needs to increase her stage presence. Her talent is good but like Hera, she seems a little too sweet. I feel that the girl next door beauties - Hera and Jovane will cancel each other out. We'll see.

And then the top 10 is full of darkhorses - expect one to possibly make the top 5 (like what happened in 2016-2018). Vancouver has a strong sash, Melbourne has been gaining ground, Bangkok has a very bubbly personality, Tahiti and Brisbane made it because their talents were pretty good. And then the list continues, San Francisco and Meizhou can sneak in the top 10 and even the other contestants that are not mentioned above. It will really depend on how the format is this year, if all the girls compete in talent or only the top 10/5? It will be a great competition. Good luck ladies, may the best girl win!

[samuel]

The 30th annual Miss Chinese International Pageant ended last week! Hera Chan of Hong Kong became the fourth Miss Hong Kong to win Miss Chinese International, succeeding the stunning winners - Michelle Reis, Sonija Kwok, and Grace Chan. First runner up is Hawaii's Stephanie Wang and second runner up is New York's Gina Wu. The top five was completed by London's Lisa He and Tahiti's Morgane Yueng. The top 10 semifinalists included Chicago's Ida Duan, Los Angeles's Catherine Liang, Meizhou's Kitty Huang, Melbourne's Finola Xie, and Vancouver's Alice Lin. Special awards went to Bangkok's Tavee Meesang (Miss Friendship), Brisbane's Joanne Thai (Most Liked Live Audience Performance), Hawaii's Stephanie Wang (Fitness Vitality), and Melbourne's Finola Xie (Fitness Body).