Hong Kong's dominant TVB station celebrated the 40th birthday of its major channel, TVB Pearl, with an all-star ceremony on Monday night.

TVB's founder, Run Run Shaw, who became a centenarian in October, attended the ceremony. Other attendees included a mixed bag of venerated stars from the 1980s, such as Carol Cheng Yu-Ling and Lisa Wong Ming-Chuen, and younger stars like Myolie Wu and Charmaine Sheh.

Anniversary celebrations began earlier this month, and stars Lydia Shum, Moses Chan and Lee Sze Kei were honored at the television station's annual anniversary ceremony on November 17.

Over the years, episodic dramas produced by TVB have developed into a cultural phenomenon, as well as a star-making factory.

Notable dramas include the 1980 "The Bund," which turned Chow Yun-Fat into a star, and the recent "Dicey Business," for which Bobby Au-Yeung was nominated for best actor award at this year's International Emmy Awards.

(CRI November 20, 2007)