All-star glam slam at Carina Lau's 49th birthday bash

Hong Kong - Everyone loves Carina Lau, but none more than herself, perhaps.

Cherie Chung, Rosamund Kwan, Faye Wong, Vicki Zhao, Liu Xiaoqing, Chen Kaige, Chingmy Yau, Ray Lui and Eric Tsang were some of the stars who gathered at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Sunday night to celebrate actress Lau's 49th birthday, said Apple Daily.

The theme of the bash was Glamorous, and the banquet featured a wall of 50-pound notes that showed not Queen Elizabeth but Lau in a crown. The banknotes, printed with "Bank of Ka Ling" - Lau's Chinese name - were meant to signify a rich 50th year ahead of the actress, said Sing Tao Daily.

Queen Carina greeted her guests with her husband, actor Tony Leung Chiu Wai. She paired a black and white dress that she had first worn to the Golden Horse Awards in 1995 with a pearl necklace, said Ming Pao Daily News. She swirled in the gown for a series of selfies, before changing into a red dress.

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The revellers numbered about 160, including producer Charles Heung and his wife Tiffany Chen, as well as singer Kenny Bee and his wife Fanchiang Su-chen, a close friend of the birthday girl.

Actress Miriam Yeung, singer Alex To, costume designer William Chang, media and property tycoon Peter Lam, actress Cecilia Yip, casino heiress Pansy Ho and magician Lu Chen also attended the party.

Apple Daily said Lau invited Wong's boyfriend Nicholas Tse, but he declined the invitation out of politeness. He did not wish to grab the limelight from Lau by making a public appearance with his girlfriend, which would have been their first since they got back together this year.

At the banquet, Lau, who turned 49 at the stroke of midnight, thanked her friends, as well as "wise" members of the media. Likening herself to a flower, she said they had given her nutrients and sunshine.

"Although there has been sunlight, there have also been storms," she said. "Thank you for getting me through them, and making me stronger."

This article was first published on Dec 8, 2014.
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