[Ta Kung Pao 14/11/06]

Miss Chinese International Pageant 2007 Details Revealed

In order to welcome contestants from new representative cities in China, TVB's Miss Chinese International Pageant has changed its Chinese Name to 國際中華小姐競選 and as well as welcoming entries from overseas Chinese beauty queens, there will also be contestants from Mainland pageants. The competition will take place in Foshan to mark the occasion. TVB executive Mr Ho Lai Chuen joined the President of Foshan Television to sign a contract of co-operation and accompanied by Miss Hong Kong winners Aimee Chan, Janet Chow and Koni Lui, they raised their glasses to wish the show well when it takes place on 20th January.

Mr Ho indicates that this year there will be contestants representing 22 cities overseas and together with the mainland contestants, this will total 25 contestants. The mainland contestants will include the winner of the Miss Pearl River Pageant and the winner of TVB's "Landscapes and Beauties" selections. All contestants will be arriving in Hong Kong in mid-January to prepare for the event. Mr Ho says that in the past, Miss Chinese International has been held in Panyu and this year, there will be location shooting in the host city of Foshan to show the beauty of the city and its traditional scenery. If the response from the mainland is good, then he does not rule out the possiblity of going to other cities in China for future contests. As for suggestions that they are copying the Miss Asia idea of holding it in different places, Mr Ho says that there are differences between them because they will still be inviting contestants from all around the world and with the success of former Miss Chinese International winners, the brand has already become well known among the overseas communities.

Aimee will be representing Hong Kong at this contests and in order to give her their support, Janet and Koni presented her with a card and a gift. In the card, Janet wrote 'I love you' and Koni's message was 'Enjoy your life'. They also presented her with a guidebook of Foshan so that Aimee can learn about the city and act as host to the other girls.
Aimee was so touched that she began to cry and it was only thanks to comforting from her good sisters that a smile broke from the tears. With Koni winning two awards at the Miss International Pageant, a cake was presented to her yesterday to celebrate and she fed some strawberries to the other girls.

Aimee later indicated that they are all very close and as Janet often says 'I love you' to her parents and friends, so when she heard this she was very touched. Talking of Koni and her awards, does this put pressure on Aimee? She says that she will not compare herself to Koni, but she is very happy for Koni. She also smiles: "I feel excitement more than pressure and I don't want to give myself too much pressure, otherwise I will make mistakes. Only without pressure can you do your best and I will treat myself as the host, inviting the other girls to my home, promoting Hong Kong and sharing cultural experiences. (Are you worried that the focus will just be on your figure?) No, every girl has something that people talk about and I understand that this is just a topic of conversation. (There will be mainland contestants this year, they are usually very good at speaking?) And also very pretty! However, I will not compare myself to them and will just do my best. You have to look at things from many angles and when you meet a strong competitor then it is a challenge." Over the next two months, Aimee will be taking the time to keep fit, but she will not be losing any more because women look much pretttier with some flesh and it is all about balance.

http://www.takungpao.com.hk/news/06/11/14/UL-650246.htm
http://www.takungpao.com.hk/news/06/11/14/UL-650247.htm