This year’s Miss Hong Kong titleholders — champion Yuen Sze-hang, first runner-up Tang Hong-man and second runner-up Lee Chak-yan — have all left their previous jobs to chase careers in the entertainment industry. United by acting ambitions and inspired by Hong Kong screen legends, the three women are taking different approaches to another kind of spotlight: their private lives.
From Office Jobs to Stage Dreams
Yuen and Lee said the biggest change since being crowned is their daily routine. Yuen described her diet as healthier than before and said she is not deliberately trying to maintain her current 51kg figure, though she remains conscious of how she looks on camera. Lee, who traded a nine-to-five office job for an irregular schedule, admitted the long working hours have taken time to get used to. Tang said she has gone from feeling anxious to composed, both physically and mentally. She had worked in London as a fashion-brand pattern assistant before deciding to return and compete.
“After experiencing fashion week and fulfilling my dream, I made up my mind to challenge myself in an area I had never tried,” Tang said.
All three are aiming for acting careers. Yuen, who has performance and hosting experience, called acting her passion and named four-time TVB Best Actress Charmaine Sheh as her role model. “I grew up watching her shows. I like ‘Beyond the Realm of Conscience’ and her comedy dramas. She is an amazing actress,” Yuen said. On the hosting side, she admires Mayanne Mak for being genuine and mature. Tang looks up to Ada Choi, praising her acting and warm personality, while Lee named Maggie Cheung as her inspiration and said she hopes to reach the big screen. “Ambition is a good thing,” Lee said. “I want to appear in films one day.”
Love in the Spotlight
When it comes to romance, Tang and Lee are open, but Yuen prefers privacy. Yuen, who said she was not popular with the opposite sex in secondary school and had no suitors in university, wants her work to speak for her. “I want to keep my personal life to myself. Unless I appear on a matchmaking program, I don’t want to discuss it,” she said.
Tang has been dating her first love, an IT professional based in Britain, for five and a half years. He has decided to return to Hong Kong to support her, and Tang said she is confident they can make the relationship work despite her entry into showbiz. Lee, meanwhile, has been with her doctor boyfriend for six months. She said she has no fear of temptation and is not interested in “handsome guys.” “Keeping it secret would be more troublesome,” she explained. “I’d rather let everyone know from the start so we can date normally. I have no baggage, and I hope the relationship has a happy ending.”
The three winners are part of a long tradition of Miss Hong Kong alumni using the crown as a springboard into television and film. Their candid answers suggest a new generation more comfortable controlling the narrative. The full interviews will appear in tomorrow’s Ming Pao entertainment section.
