by Assunta Ng
Northwest Asia Weekly
Vanessa and her portrait (photo by Assunta Ng)
It’s no surprise that Vanessa Lee of Bellevue won the Miss Chinese Chamber of Commerce in San Francisco in San Francisco. Amazingly, Lee won three titles in the national Miss Chinatown pageant, a record-setting feat for the local Chinese community.
Vanessa performs the peacock dance at the gala dinner at China Harbour Restaurant (Photo by Assunta Ng)
Li also won Miss Talent and First Princess. The women who won Miss Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Washington state are generally tall. At just 5 feet, 19-year-old Lee overcame all odds to bring the crown home.
Born and raised in San Francisco’s Chinatown, Lee’s pageant platform will be an ambassador for America’s Chinatown, including Seattle. A sophomore at the University of Washington, Lee is majoring in business.
Vanessa in Peacock Pose (Photo by Assunta Ng)
“She (Li) is lucky to be here tonight,” Li’s father, Tim, said at a gala dinner at China Harbour Restaurant on March 12. Tim is a FedEx contractor.
Just before the California pageant, Lee suffered from appendicitis and required surgery. The operation nearly killed her because the nurse gave her an injection she was allergic to.
Vanessa lee with mother Kristin (photo by Assunta Ng)
Li’s allergic reaction was so severe that she couldn’t walk and experienced severe pain.
“Her face was swollen,” said Tim, whose daughter sent him a selfie. Later medical records showed that “Lee had stopped breathing for two minutes.” But Vanessa was positive. In her text message, she told her father, “I’m still alive. Win or lose, I’m going on stage.”
(Photo by Liu George)
Lee’s mother Christine tried to convince her daughter not to run after seeing Vanessa’s condition. But Lee insisted on entering the pageant. Christine offered different options. Perhaps, she should share her harrowing story of beauty pageants to get a “sympathy vote” from the judges. Or she could choose talent that’s easier to compete with, like storytelling.
Whatever her parents suggested, Vanessa turned it down.
“It’s part of my journey,” she said. “I have to do it.”
Vanessa was crowned Miss Chinese Chamber of Commerce in the Miss Chinatown Pageant in San Francisco, USA (Courtesy of the Li family)
Inspired by Vanessa’s courage, bravery and tenacity, Kristen cried many times. Coincidentally, the theme of this year’s Miss Chinatown pageant is “resilience”. That means “giving and relying on the strength of those around me,” Vanessa said.
Taking shortcuts is not on Vanessa’s agenda. Instead, she did the opposite. To stand out among the contestants, she asked a dance teacher to teach her the harder Chinese peacock dance to impress the judges. She has been studying Chinese dance with Li Hengda for ten years and plans to use dance in talent competitions.
Evergrande said he taught Vanessa the version of a professional dancer. Imagine the pain she had to endure while preparing for a beauty look during rehearsal.
Vanessa attributes her strength to all those who supported her, including her sponsor, the Greater Seattle Chinese Chamber of Commerce, who organized a team to work with her for several months. It started with Chamber of Commerce board member Millie Su, whose goal was to find potential contestants for the San Francisco pageant. The Chamber of Commerce was unable to host its own local beauty pageant due to the pandemic.But the local chamber of commerce can still send players
Represents Seattle every year.
Vanessa thanks all her friends who supported her (Photo by Assunta Ng)
The talent part is only part of the game. Vanessa had to pass an interview with the judges, which tested the contestants’ confidence, speaking ability, independent thinking, and a Chinese dress competition with 12 other contestants from across the United States.
The Q&A section and the training for professional model walks are more like personal development courses for young women.
Vanessa’s mentors include Sandy Sun, Susana Chin, Rick Choi, Samantha Yee, Karma Lee and Cythnia Vuong. They work side by side to prepare Vanessa so that she is not nervous and can anticipate unexpected problems. The goal is to show the judges grace under pressure.
Vanessa also thanked many more supporters at the dinner, including the Lee Family Association and all the aunts and friends who supported her.
“I know how happy I am,” she said. “I have community in my life.”
Assunta can reach assunta@nwasianweekly.com.
