Usual suspects make the list
by: Syahirah Anwar
- newspaper.asia1.com
Who are the most beautiful women in Asia? We asked 100 Singaporeans
- 50 men and 50 women - to pick five Asian women whom they
considered beautiful and sexy. And no surprises as to who nabbed
the top spot.
Almost two thirds of the the respondents put former Miss World and
Bollywood starlet Aishwarya Rai in their list.
At a distant second, with less than half of the votes, was Chinese
actress Gong Li, who starred in the recent Hollywood flick Miami
Vice opposite Colin Farrell.
The rest of the top 10 list was made up of the usual suspects -
actresses Zhang Ziyi and Shu Qi and Malaysian pop princess Siti
Nurhaliza.
But some Singaporeans threw up lesser-known names, such as
Polish-Javanese actress Tamara Bleszynski and American-Chinese
actress-model China Chow.
Local babes were not left out, with some mentioning MTV VJ Denise
Keller, actress Wong Li-lin and host Andrea De Cruz. Even The Link
owner Tina Tan-Leo and Haach CEO Ponz Goo were picked.
And as for the Queens of Caldecott? Fann Wong beat Zoe Tay, with
with nine votes to one.
1: AISHWARYA RAI
Number of votes: 60
No stranger to the beautiful women rankings, this ravishing beauty
was Miss World in 1994 before becoming a Bollywood A-lister with
movies like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas. The 32-year-old
actress has also appeared in Hollywood productions like Bride And
Prejudice and Mistress Of Spices.
'Aishwarya's name has somehow become synonymous with the word
beautiful. Her features are also very striking because of her sharp
nose and greenish eyes.'
- Nur Aqilah Tahir, 25, administrative officer
2: GONG LI
Number of votes: 43
After forging a career in critically-acclaimed Chinese movies like
Farewell My Concubine and Red Sorghum, Gong Li, 40, is now inching
her way into Hollywood conciousness.
She tantalised Western audiences in Memoirs Of A Geisha, and will
romance Colin Farrell in Miami Vice, which opens in Singapore later
this month.
'There are other Asian actresses in Hollywood but the majority of
them are of mixed-blood. So when you compare Gong Li to them, she
definitely stands out because she is 100 per cent Asian.'
- Aaron Tang, 39, businessman
3: MAGGIE Q
Number of votes: 38
Maggie Denise Quigley, 27, started with an under-the-radar career
in Hong Kong movies like Gen-Y Cops and Naked Weapon. Then this
year, the Vietnamese and Irish-American actress nabbed a plum role
in Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible III and has become next big
Asian babe in Hollywood.
'She may not be as busty or as tall as the Caucasian models and
actresses but I think she is capable of turning heads in
Hollywood.'
- Chen Hui Ling, 19, student
4: AYUMI HAMASAKI
Number of votes: 35
The Empress of J-Pop burst onto the music scene in 1998 and
catapulted to No. 1 with her hit album Love-Destiny. The
27-year-old popster and former model is also hailed as a fashion
icon, with teenaged Japanese girls emulating her sexy, spunky
style.
'Ayumi has the perfect Japanese look and she always manages to look
sexy on all her album covers and her pictures.'
- Joanna Teo, 26, civil servant
5: ZHANG ZIYI
Number of votes: 31
Thanks to 2000's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and last year's
Memoirs Of A Geisha, Zhang Ziyi has been one of the few China-born
actresses to break into the Hollywood market. The 27-year-old
beauty, who was nominated for a Golden Globe award for Memoirs,
plays an empress in the upcoming The Banquet.
6: KURARA CHIBANA
Number of votes: 27
Better known as Miss Japan 2006, Kurara Chibana wowed the world
when she came in second in last month's Miss Universe contest in
the US.
The 24-year-old reporter was dubbed the 'Miss Universe in ninja
high heels' for the eye-popping samurai warrior outfit she wore
during the national costume category.
7: KELLY HU
Number of votes: 26
Hawaiian-born actress Kelly Hu, 38, got her big break opposite
Sammo Hung in late-90s TV series Martial Law. The former Miss Teen
USA, who has Chinese-Filipino-Hawaiian-English blood, then steamed
up the screen opposite The Rock in The Scorpion King and clashed
claws with Hugh Jackman in X-Men 2.
'I found her sexy when I saw her movies X-Men 2 and Cradle 2 The
Grave and she was kicking butt. A girl who can fight the way she
does is certainly hot.'
- Mahesh Singh, 31, general manager
8: SHU QI
Number of votes: 24
Taiwan-born Shu Qi started out as a model and soft porn actress
before hitting Hong Kong screens in movies like So Close and A Man
Called Hero.
She almost nabbed a role in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon but
ended up settling for a part opposite Jason Statham in the action
flick The Transporter.
9: SITI NURHALIZA
Number of votes: 23
Malaysia's undisputed Princess of Pop made headlines last month
when she married Datuk Khalid Mohamed Jiwa, a man 20 years her
senior. The 27-year-old has sold millions in albums in the region
and performed at London's Royal Albert Hall last year.
'She has got this wholesome look about her. She is very sweet and
pleasant looking. She also has got a nice smile.'
- Salma Bee, 41, housewife
10: LUCY LIU
Number of votes: 22
Lucy Liu catapulted to fame when she appeared as the icy Ling Woo
on TV series Ally McBeal. The 27-year-old New Yorker is one of few
Asian actresses appearing in high-profile movies in Hollywood
today, such as Kill Bill, Charlie's Angels and Lucky Number
Slevin.
