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Asia
Television broadcast on 29th
May 1957 as the first television station
in Hong Kong and the first Chinese
channel in the world. ATV is now beamed
to Hong Kong, Macau, Guangdong Province
and North America, and has acquired an
audience of nearly 10 billion viewers. A
major communication medium in Hong Kong,
the station exerts considerable
influence throughout the rest of Asia.
Asia
Television's production output -
including drama, entertainment,
infotainment and other genres - recently
exceeded an impressive 3,000 hours per
annum. The great variety of programs
produced has resulted from Asia
Television's innovative management and
enthusiastic commitment to providing
what the viewer wants to see. One such
program - Miss Asia Pageant - is not
only the premier variety show produced
by Asia Television but one of the four
major beauty pageants in the world.
Since the
event was first screened in 1985, Miss
Asia Pageant has injected great vitality
into the concept of competition and
participation and has been an annual
event of great popularity, with many
golden moments cherished still by
appreciative audiences.
History
suggests that Miss Asia contestants are
guaranteed a promising future. Most of
the contestants, such as Eve Lai, Nina
Li, Jaclyn Chu, Veronica Yip, Alice
Chan, Candy Lo, Losa Law, Belinda
Hammett, Kristy Yeung, have gone on to
become popular stars and household names
in the entertainment industry.
Over the
years, Miss Asia contestants have
visited many foreign countries -
including France, Spain, Morocco,
England and Greece - for film and
photographic shoots. These exotic
locations have proven to be the perfect
backdrop for their beautifully costumed
visitors, and have been much appreciated
by television audiences. The Miss Asia
Pageant was the first in Hong Kong to
endorse the wearing of bikinis to show
the contestants' curves off to best
advantage - a breakthrough in Hong Kong
beauty pageants, which continues to
exert its influence. The Miss Asia
Pageant recently introduced new elements
into the design of the traditional
cheong sam, with famous sightseeing
icons from 21 countries printed on the
dresses of the international line-up.
The
organizer of Miss Asia Pageant has long
promoted the culture of beauty,
cherishing its very essence.
Consequently, production managers seek
perfection in all aspects of the event
including stage set design, costumes,
overseas filming and the choice of
master of ceremonies and judges. Every
year, superstars such as Leslie Cheung,
Roman Law, Jackie Chan, Teresa Teng,
Judy Ongg, Stanley Ho (The King of
Gambling), Pansy Ho, James Wong, Choi
Lan, Ni Kuang, Paula Tsui, Carina Lau,
Daniel Wu, Michael Fitzereld Wong,
Richie Yam, Lydia Shum, Natalis Chan,
Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Ho Sau Shun,
Michael Hui, John Shum, Adam Cheng, Bill
Chan, Kent Cheng, Patrick Tse are
invited to perform on stage, while
renowned pianists Xiang-dong Kong,
renowned Violin Performer Takako
Nishizaki, famous director Wong Jing,
Stanley Kwan, top models Lisa S., and
Yosuke Eguchi, Noriko Sakai, the
Japanese actors who won fame in Hong
Kong in the TV series, have all graced
the Miss Asia Pageant stage.
In 2004,
the event made a historic breakthrough
in Hong Kong beauty pageantry, with
contestants from all Asian countries
free to participate. This innovation
laid a new foundation for regional
beauty pageants and further promoted the
culture of beauty pageantry in Asia. For
the first time, contestants from
Mainland China, Vietnam, India, Lebanon,
Thailand, Singapore, Japan, South Korea,
the Philippines, Malaysia, Kazakstan,
Uzbek, Macau and Hong Kong competed for
the title of Miss Asia. The winner truly
deserved the title of Miss ¡¥Asia¡¦. In
2006, the pageant was held in Macau and
was an unprecedented success, helping
boost the territory as a tourist
attraction.
As a
result of the organization and
promotional events created by Asia
Television, the regions with
representative contestants co-operate
with each other on several additional
levels such as tourism, cultural and
economic exchange, and charitable
activities, which in turn help promote
co-operation and progress throughout the
region.
Photo by
MissAsia.com.hk |
