Following the first round of auditions that happened a couple of weeks earlier, the Miss Hong Kong 2023 beauty pageant enters its second round of auditions. From the first round, netizens already had a couple of contestants in mind that they thought might actually be crowned “Miss Hong Kong” of the year.
Unfortunately, six highly-praised contestants from the first round have announced that they will be withdrawing from the beauty pageant. To netizens’ disappointment, these six beauties expressed their gratitude for the chance and explained the reasons behind their withdrawals.
1. Nichole Lai (賴佩琳)
Nichole Lai (賴佩琳) works as an entertainment reporter and has been playing the piano for years. There were rumours floating about that she was once the student of world-renowned pianist, Professor Liu Shikun (劉詩昆), because of their photo together on social media. This misunderstanding was later cleared up, but the 27-year-old suffered quite some criticisms for this.
A couple of days before, the beauty wrote on her social media, “All of it was a beautiful misunderstanding, I don’t regret anything.” Although it was not clearly stated, it seemed like the misunderstanding had caused trouble and pressure for Nichole and may have contributed to her withdrawal. “It’s no one’s fault for this because everyone is just trying all they can to do their job well. To me, I don’t have any regrets. These two days, I received a lot of kindness. Thank you, and may fate bring us together again.
2. Nora
As a 24-year-old, Nora works as a high school teacher. Because of her elegant looks, netizens gave her the title “Prettiest Miss Hong Kong” and even thought to be crowned this year’s Miss Hong Kong. A couple of days before, Nora wrote on her Xiaohongshu (小红书) account announcing her pulling out from the pageant. She said that she wasn’t fully prepared to leave behind a stable job to gamble on an uncertain future participating in the pageant.
Nora then added that her parents’ opposition is also one of the reasons that contributed to her withdrawal. “My parents hope that I could choose an easier (life) path, and not aim for fame or wealth. The expectations they have for me were to rely on my academic abilities. They want me to find a stable job, and keep breaking through without giving up. As for entering the entertainment industry, they are extremely concerned about this.”
3. Selina Sun (孫伊)
Selina Sun was a former Miss Asia and even won the “The Most Photogenic” award at the beauty pageant in 2021. On 19th June 2023, she announced her withdrawal from Miss Hong Kong 2023 and said that it was due to personal reasons. After reading the terms of the TVB contract, she was hesitant on signing with the broadcasting company and decided to pull out.
The now-former contestant raised her concerns about participating in Miss Hong Kong 2023 online, “How am I supposed to balance work and competition? How about visa renewals? Could I surpass my previous awards? Do I really want to change my career plan and become a full-fledged artist? How about the acceptability and recognition of mainlanders in the Hong Kong circle? These are the series of questions and limitations I had. Am I willing to gamble on an uncertain future with a decided present? So, I chose to give up (on the pageant).”
4. Gwen Cheng (鄭泳君)
In the first round of interviews, Gwen Cheng was dubbed “Shen Yue (沈月) Lookalike” because of her pure appearance. The 24-year-old has large colourful tattoos on her left forearm and did not hesitate to share her tattoos on her first day. For the second round of auditions, the young woman could not attend it because of a family member’s surgery and decided to give up on the pageant then.
“What I didn’t expect is for TVB to give me another chance! After much thought, I didn’t want to leave any regrets, so I went. However, I realised that it was already the screening for the semi-finals when I went, and we needed to sign a contract. I have a full-time job, and I’m afraid of an unstable income and having no work. The staff also persuaded me on set, but I still decided to withdraw from the pageant after careful consideration. I’m actually really touched that TVB gave me so many opportunities.”
5. Li Siqing (李思清)
Li Siqing, a secondary school math teacher, left a really good impression on everyone during the first round of interviews. The 24-year-old was polite and did not forget to express her thanks to the photographers after taking her photos. At that time, she revealed that she joined the pageant without informing the school. Although she was shortlisted for the second round, she had also posted on social platforms that she was pulling out from the pageant.
Given that she had to sign the contract, Miss Li decided to withdraw because of the strict requirements stated in the contract. “After much deliberation, I still decided to give up! At the end of the day, this directly relates to the planning of my future career path. I felt like the entertainment circle is something I have never really understood. Even if I was chosen as Miss Hong Kong, the gains and sacrifices are uncertain. And once I get a placement, it means that I have to give up on my teaching career.”
6. Cecilia
During the first round of auditions, Cecilia arrived at the venue dressed in a gorgeous red dress. The 23-year-old paired the elegant attire with designer bags, and has since received the title “Rich Miss Hong Kong”. Not long ago, she shared on her social media that she will be withdrawing from the beauty pageant. And the reason she gave was, “My family found out and did not want me to continue on.”
