What do "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" star Chow Yun-fat, Cannes best actor winner Tony Leung Chiu-wai and comic director Stephen Chow of "Shaolin Soccer" fame have in common?

They all studied at the same place: Hong Kong TV station TVB's performing artist training program.

Founded in 1971 amid a shortage for TV talent when the medium was still developing in Hong Kong, the program has churned out some of the biggest names in Chinese-language show business, with a hands-on, condensed curriculum.

Unlike performing arts conservatories that offer full-fledged degree programs, TVB's acting training is practical and abbreviated.

Apart from stage theory and basics on TV production, trainees also learn hosting, make up, dance and martial arts. It started out as a part-time, night program and the curriculum has never been structured to last more than a year in its various incarnations.

TVB production resources executive Virginia Lok said on-the-job training is the key to the program's success. And TVB provides plenty of practice. Lok noted the station, one of the leading Chinese-language TV broadcasters in the world, produces 16,000 hours of programming every year.

"We produce shows including children's shows, informational programs, drama, game shows, host-driven shows and music programs. We offer a lot of variety," Lok said.

In its current format, trainees spend three months in the classroom and three months working on various TV shows, during which period they are constantly evaluated based on testing and grading by directors and producers.

Lok said coursework cannot teach real TV production experience.

"You can't learn from text books how the camera moves. All of a sudden you need to look at camera No. 1, then switch to camera No. 2. You need to know if your shoulder will block the person behind you, how to deal with the lighting," she said.

Former student Tavia Yeung, a TVB actress, said instructors prepare students psychologically for the realities of the entertainment industry.

"They will tell you how mean the directors are, how people don't remember your name and just yell to summon you. They paint a bleak picture so they can tell us that this industry isn't all about fun," Yeung said.

But critics say that Hong Kong needs to create an environment that provides more in-depth actor's training such as in the West, where conservatories are common and aspiring actors can turn to teachers with different approaches.

Compared to TVB's six-month crash course, the famous Julliard School's program in New York is four years and appears to be more systematic. Students must take part in Shakespeare and contemporary plays. They are trained in movement, voice, speech and the Alexander technique, a method that improves movement, balance and coordination.

Hong Kong has just one conservatory, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, which is just 22 years old.

Sam Lam, an acting teacher at the academy who has also taught at TVB, says acting training in an academic setting teaches students how to better manage their emotions and tackle a wider variety of parts more quickly.

"An actor without formal training won't know why certain emotions come," Lam said.

"Formal training teaches you how emotions are produced, how to stimulate yourself to produce emotion, so when you're taking risks, yes, you're taking risks but there's a roadmap," he said.

Acting students who don't face commercial pressures also have freer rein. "The teacher will stretch you," Lam said.

Lam said Hong Kong actors tend to take longer to evolve compared to their Hollywood counterparts.

"They have greater flexibility. Be it Al Pacino or Robert DeNiro, their range is wide. They can play different characters _ good guys, bad buys and what not. Their characters have enough depth," he said.

Still, TVB executive Lok puts more emphasis on practical training, saying that for actors, "we think three months of class time is enough. ... After teaching them the basics, they need on-the job training."