If you've ever tuned in to a Hong Kong mini-drama and thought it looks like the same actors playing similar roles over and over again, guess what: they are.

The majority of Hong Kong TV shows broadcast on the Chinese mainland are produced by TVBI, the station where many a pop starlet got her start. Among them are probably the ten biggest actresses on the soap scene. For those who have trouble telling them apart, here is the bluffer's guide to the ladies from the mini-soaps.

Guo Aiming

If the character is a hot-shot business woman who is suffering from problems with her love life, the chances are it's Guo Aiming. In real life, Guo has the highest education level of any of the TVBI actors - a double Masters degree. Guo has both brains and beauty - she was Miss Hong Kong in 1991 - but it seems the brains win out every time in the narrow minds of the scriptwriters.

Chen Zhijing

The logical lawyer-type, Chen's repeated screen persona combines cool calculations with a gentle disposition, all in the form of a traditional Chinese beauty. In real life, Chen is said to be difficult to get close to and a very cold person - and unlikely to become a super-celebrity.

Shao Meiqi

Most people remember Shao Meiqi for the fight of the two Qis. Several years ago, former boyfriend Zheng Yijian left her for another Qi - Liang Yongqi - and the pair famously rowed. Her onstage temperament is more attractive than her face, and she is usually drafted in as the independent mediator to solve problems in love. Not quite her role in real life...

Chen Xiuwen

A married woman who is the Everywoman of wives and mothers? Must be Chen Xiuwen. The housewives' favorite, Chen's role demands that she's not too beautiful (otherwise she'd be off tempting other people's husbands) yet highly virtuous. And she performs it perfectly.

She Shiman

She Shiman looks like the one of TVBI's actresses who may just break out of the mold of typecasting. Probably the most prolific of their stable, she stars in two to three shows each year. With increased exposure, her skills are getting higher, and her roles largeWith increased exposure, her skills are getting higher, and her roles larger and larger.

Cai Shaofen

Doctor calling? Enter Cai Shaofen, stage left. Cai came second to Guo Aiming in the Miss Hong Kong pageant in 1991, and as fits a model, she's extremely tall and thin.

Xuan Xuan

Sometimes, Xuan Xuan looks mature, other times she looks like a mere slip of a thing. The one thing her characters all have in common are a highly developed independent streak and an impression of capability strengthened by her pixie-ish hair.

Chen Huishan

The stereotyped Chen Huishan is the well-educated white-collar worker, dedicated to her work. She may appear cold from the outside, but a warm heart beats within. Diving queen Fu Mingxia bears more than a passing resemblance to Chen - which may explain why her former boyfriend Anthony Leung (Hong Kong financial secretary) is now Fu's husband.

Wang Mingquan

Wang has been a big shot in Hong Kong entertainment circles from almost 20 years. The dignified older woman, the matriarch of a family, her fiery charm has not diminished over the last 20 in her portrayals of the archetypal Chinese mother.

Wen Songxian

The new girl on the block, Wen is starting out as the cute, clever, slightly perverse girlie. Given that the majority of young female roles in Hong Kong mini-dramas are of that type, expect to see more of Wen over coming years - until she gets too old to be a cute girlie, that is.

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