Chinese actress Fan Bingbing, who was blacklisted seven years ago due to a tax scandal, was conferred the title of Datuk by the Malacca State Governor Tun Mohd Ali on August 24. On that day, she wore three outfits designed by Malaysian designers to attend the conferment ceremony.
According to the Malaysian newspaper “Sin Chew Daily,” Fan Bingbing arrived at the Malacca State Government Building at 8 o’clock in the morning on the 24th to attend the conferment ceremony of the Malacca State Governor Tun Mohd Ali’s birthday. She was dressed elegantly in light green traditional Malay attire, wore a long veil, and accompanied by her manager, entered the VIP room.
Of note, Fan Bingbing appeared in three outfits incorporating Malay style on that day. The attire she wore at the conferment ceremony was designed by the local renowned designer Melinda Looi; for the dinner segment, she chose a gown designed by FIZIWOO; and at the hotel event, she wore clothing from the brand “君帝傲” under the DanieLeslie label.
At the age of 43, Fan Bingbing was invited last May to serve as the tourism goodwill ambassador for Malacca Tourism Year. In June of the same year, she made a four-day promotional appearance in Malacca, attracting a large crowd and showcasing her immense popularity.
The report pointed out that after Fan Bingbing took on the role of Malacca Tourism Goodwill Ambassador, the WeChat clicks for “Malacca x Fan Bingbing” exceeded 1.5 billion within three days. The number of Chinese tourists surged from 204,818 in 2023 to 664,687 by the end of 2024, with Malaysian officials crediting Fan Bingbing for boosting the tourism economy in the ancient city of Malacca.
Fan Bingbing’s career took a hit in 2018 when she was embroiled in a tax scandal involving “yin-yang contracts” and was fined over 880 million RMB but escaped criminal punishment. She had not filmed domestically for seven years and has been focusing on international collaborations, appearing at events such as the Cannes and Busan film festivals, making guest appearances in foreign-language films and Korean dramas, and collaborating with Malaysian director Zhang Jiean in the film “Mother Bhumi,” where she played a farmer role.
Recently spotted frequently in Hong Kong, Fan Bingbing was said to have officially obtained the status of a “new Hong Konger” and currently resides in a luxury residence on the Mid-Levels with monthly rent of 650,000 HKD.
During the interview, Fan Bingbing expressed gratitude for being able to wear the designs of three Malaysian designers to attend the conferment ceremony, which made her feel the warmth of Malaysia. She thanked Malacca for the honor bestowed upon her and said she was extremely happy. She also revealed that she would return to Malacca to work again in September.
After the ceremony, Fan Bingbing posted photos on RED (Xiaohongshu), saying, “This time, I received the ‘Datuk’ medal bestowed by the prestigious Malaysian State, which has greatly inspired and acknowledged me. Thank you, Malaysia, thank you, Malacca, this is truly my blessed land! Looking forward to more stories with Malacca… Let’s go, Miss Fan! It has been said that every step counts in life, and there is never a wasted path.”
After photos of Fan Bingbing receiving the Datuk title were revealed, Malaysian netizens questioned, “What contributions does this foreigner have?” “Doesn’t this lower the prestige of the Datuk title?” “How much money was spent to buy it?” However, many fans praised Fan Bingbing for her elegance and congratulated her.