Actress Fan Bingbing begins role as tourism ambassador of Malaysian state

Fan's arrival at the Stadthuys building in Melaka's administrative center attracted hundreds of people excited to see her, according to The Straits Times.

Fan, dressed in a Nyonya kebaya (Malaysian traditional blouse-dress), attended meet-and-greet sessions at different venues and visited tourist attractions and heritage sites from June 14-16.

Actress Fan Bingbing debuts as a tourism ambassador of Melaka state. Photo from Fan's Instagram

Fan highlighted that Melaka is distinct as a tourist destination, different from other famous spots.

"For me, it is truly an honour to be appointed as the Melaka Friendship Tourism Ambassador 2024. After the Covid-19 pandemic, my mind was very unsettled, and I had not traveled abroad.

"However, post-pandemic tourism has become lively again, and people will surely choose places they have never visited before," she told reporters through a Mandarin interpreter, reported by New Straits Time.

Actress Fan Bingbing. Photo from Fan's Instagram

This isn't Fan's first involvement in a Southeast Asian tourism campaign. In April, she made a memorable appearance at Thailand’s Songkran festival, riding in a flower-adorned tuk-tuk.

Fan, 42, was born in the province of Shandong, China. She started her career in the entertainment industry when she was 17, and is known for her achievements as an actress, model, TV producer, and singer.

She appeared in Time Magazine's list of 100 most influential people in 2017. The actress has kept a lower profile since 2018 after being fined $128 million for tax evasion.