Year of the Ram: Chinese New Year Feature
	Year of the Ram: Chinese New Year Feature (Feature) Washington Journal: Is War Good for Asian Pacific Americans? (in National News) Cheu Steps Down as Executive Director of LGBT Center (in Bay Area News) U.S. Opens Door to Shanghai Club (in Sports) Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend (in A&E) Emil Amok: Internment? No, Harrassment is Enough (in Opinion)

Say ‘Aloha’ to Miss Chinatown U.S.A.

By Jennifer May Yuen | Special to AsianWeek

If you were among the audience last Saturday in the almost packed 1,000-seat Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, you would have noticed nearly one whole row of seats filled, from east to west, like a designated cheering section for the crowd-favorite contestant.

This seemingly foreshadowed the winner of the Miss Chinatown U.S.A. 2003 crown.

In fact the pageant was reminiscent of a political candidate’s convention, minus the red, white and blue, but complete with enthusiastic chanting and posters on sticks with mugs of the beloved beauty contestant.

Not that Honolulu, Hawai‘i resident, 21-year-old Darah Dung’s ‘aloha spirit’ was the only deciding factor. She did conclude the evening with poise and beauty, articulation and stunning talent with her rendition of an aria from the opera La Boheme. She had all the attributes a pageant contestant strives to embody.

On the night of Feb. 8, the San Francisco Chinese Chamber of Commerce held its 45^th annual Miss Chinatown U.S.A. pageant. After a special reception, the pageant began at half past 7 p.m. Mayor Willie Brown made a cameo in support of the “most magnificent, festive, wonderful celebration that San Francisco engages in each year ... Chinese New Year.”

“Now a very special treat of San Francisco — a pageant of beauty, talent and brains on display,” Brown continued. He also gave certificates of appreciation to special Hong Kong guests, media celebrities Melissa Ng and Ma Tak Chung.

Then, Sidney Chan, co-chair of the pageant, delivered a rather lengthy introduction of dignitaries and a panel of judges and promised “an evening of unparalleled elegance.”

Judging this show of elegance was a panel of wide ranging experiences, from marketing and designing to beauty consulting and media communications. These judges gave scores according to the three segments of the competition: fitness and form (25 percent); talent (35 percent); beauty, style and verbal communication (40 percent).

After the swimsuit “fitness and form” portion, contestants displayed their artistic talents from Chinese folk dance and hip hop to playing the zither and singing. The “beauty, style and verbal communication” portion followed, with contestants wearing the Chinese traditional dress, qi pao or cheongsam. Master and mistress of ceremonies, Kevin Ho and Julia Tung, presented the question-and-answer portion, with contestants picking a question at random.

“I’m able to experience two diverse cultures. I celebrate with presents at Christmas and at New Year’s I get hong bao,” Jenny Wei, 17, of Palo Alto, answered lightheartedly about what being Chinese American means to her. More solid answers addressed the possibilities of the first Chinese American president and a cure for breast cancer.

With no intermission offered and the pageant continuing past 10 p.m., a slide show and video produced by Michael Muramoto and Steven Chen were presented as a break, documenting the contestants’ pageant preparation.

Final results were accompanied with tiaras, sashes and flowers. Winners and non-title participants all received scholarships, worth from $500 to $10,000, as well as jewelry and clothing.

The concluding events for the Miss Chinatown festivities will be the Coronation Ball at the Westin St. Francis on February 14 and Dung will ride in the New Year’s parade on February 15.