Kayi Cheung
| Kayi Cheung | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jeung Ga-yan |
| Born |
18 November 1983 Hong Kong |
Kayi Cheung (simplified Chinese: 张嘉儿; traditional Chinese: 張嘉兒; Pinyin: Zhāng Jiā'ér; Yale: Jeung1 Ga1 Yi4), born on 18 November 1983 in Hong Kong with family roots in Chaozhou, Guangdong, was Miss Hong Kong 2007. She also received the Miss Vitality Ambassador award. Cheung has said her goal is to become a successful programme host and to promote healthy living.
Cheung was educated at David Thompson Secondary School and graduated in 2002.
In 2005, Cheung entered the Miss Chinese (Vancouver) Pageant in which she was not named as a Top 3 contestant. However, she captured the Miss Vivacious Beauty award. She hosted What's On on Fairchild Television until April 2007 when she returned to Hong Kong as an overseas contestant in the Miss Hong Kong Pageant. Cheung was not a favorite to win, and was not considered a contender. When she was announced as the winner, the reception by the audience and the public was very controversial.
What followed was massive criticism totally unseen in Hong Kong pageant history. The media and the public severely bashed Cheung for being one of the least beautiful Miss Hong Kong winners ever. TVB, the organizer of the pageant, claimed that the onstage performance on the final night was just part of the game and Cheung had showed very strong communication skills when meeting the judges before the final, which might prove decisive. The public were not convinced, and insisted that Cheung's win was fixed. The bashing continued to the point that there were informal polls among internet fans on whether there should be a re-election of Miss Hong Kong 2007. Nevertheless, Cheung handled the pressure gracefully and remained calm and composed whenever she was asked about all the harsh comments made on her looks.
Cheung competed in Sanya, China for the Miss World 2007 pageant in December 2007. In the pageant she made history by becoming the first Miss Hong Kong to win the Beauty With A Purpose award, based on her charity work for the "Wai Yin Association", a charitable organisation set up by a group of former Miss Hong Kong winners/participants since 1982. Cheung tied with Miss Ecuador, Valeska Saab for the award, so both advanced to the semifinals automatically. She is the first Miss Hong Kong to make the semi-finals since Pauline Yeung in 1987. The Miss World 2007 title went to Zhang Zilin of the People's Republic of China.
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