Fan Bingbing dazzles at Bangkok’s Songkran parade aboard floral tuk-tuk

Chinese actress Fan Bingbing appears at Thailand’s Songkran festival on April 12, 2024. Photo from Fan's Instagram

"Fan Bingbing surprisingly showed up in Songkran goddess attire to celebrate the Thai New Year festival at Sanam Luang," Elle Thailand revealed on Instagram, as reported by The Nation.

Her presence in the Bangkok neighborhood on Friday captured significant attention from the vast crowd assembled for the celebrations. Numerous attendees were keen to follow her tuk-tuk, eager for a glimpse of the actress as she made her way through Thailand’s capital.

Yet, some Thai netizens viewed her appearance skeptically, noting that Fan’s choice of a simply decorated tuk-tuk did not match the grandeur of the parade's more lavishly decorated floats.

"Fan Bingbing is a cultural ambassador who draws Chinese people to Thailand, but she did not look nearly as grand [in the parade] as she does in her own country," expressed a netizen, voicing their dissatisfaction.

The Songkran festival was officially recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) last year and is slated for month-long celebrations in April this year, as per The Straits Times.

Born in Shandong province, China, Fan, 43, embarked on her entertainment career at 17 and has achieved recognition as an actress, model, television producer, and singer.

She was featured in Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in 2017.

Since being fined US$128 million for tax evasion in 2018, the actress has maintained a more discreet profile.