Latest news with #FanBingbing
South China Morning Post
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Actress Zhong Chuxi is China's new red carpet queen at Cannes for fashion sense, confidence
Chinese actress Zhong Chuxi has once again captivated social media with her stunning style at this year's Cannes Film Festival red carpet. The 32-year-old dazzled in two exquisite Elie Saab gowns – one at the L'Oreal Paris dinner honouring women filmmakers, and the other at the world premiere of the film Dossier 137. This marks Zhong's third appearance at the prestigious film festival as L'Oreal's brand ambassador. On Chinese social media, she received an outpouring of praise for her exceptional fashion sense and graceful posture. Many have dubbed her the new 'red carpet queen', succeeding fellow actress Fan Bingbing. Actress Fan Bingbing attended the 63rd Annual Cannes Film Festival on May 12, 2010, in Cannes, France. Photo:Unlike some celebrities labelled as 'red carpet moochers', who often attend film festivals without notable works, Zhong has maintained a positive public image. Her acting career has garnered increasing recognition in recent years, thanks to stand-out performances in hit films and TV dramas such as Her Story (2024), Begin Again (2024), and Born to Run (2024).
New Straits Times
22-05-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
The world meets Malaysia in Melaka
THE world will soon turn its gaze to Melaka. In September, this historic city will host World Tourism Day (WTD) and World Tourism Conference (WTC). Malaysia will welcome more than 3,000 delegates from 159 countries, including tourism leaders, policymakers and industry experts. These events represent more than symbolic recognition. They represent Malaysia's stage rehearsal for Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026), a defining opportunity to showcase the nation's tourism readiness, innovation and world-class hospitality. These aspirations reflect a commitment to revitalising tourism for economic recovery. However, the nation must mobilise efforts from federal leadership to the grassroots to achieve these goals. The theme of WTD, "Tourism and Sustainable Transformation", could not be more timely. It gives Malaysia a platform to highlight its strengths, such as, cultural heritage, ecotourism, Muslim-friendly tourism, digital infrastructure and smart destination planning. Yet even with national frameworks in place, the real transformation must occur where experiences are delivered at the state and community levels. This achievement reflects Melaka's effective coordination, infrastructure enhancements and branding strategies. Melaka, aligned with the national agenda, has emerged as a beacon of tourism excellence through creative promotional programmes, digital innovation and outstanding service. The success of Visit Melaka Year 2024 is demonstrated by the state recording more than 15 million tourist arrivals, which contributed RM12.68 billion to tourism revenue. The Visit Melaka initiative will extend to 2026. The appointment of Chinese actress Fan Bingbing as Melaka's tourism ambassador has elevated the state's image in the Chinese tourism market. It generated more than 1.5 billion digital impressions on WeChat, positioning Melaka at the spotlight of Asia's tourism market. Melaka's preparations for WTD and WTC include a tourism package, digital navigation upgrades, enhancing historical precincts and installing five-star public restrooms in tourist areas. These efforts boost visitor confidence, satisfaction and brand loyalty to the state and the country. Other states would do well to observe and emulate Melaka's approach to VM2026, especially in building niche tourism appeal, whether in food tourism, ecotourism or heritage preservation. At the same time, the tourism industry must focus on quality growth while delivering immersive, high-value travel experiences. Hoteliers, F&B businesses, tour operators and transport providers must raise their service standards, from cleanliness and punctuality to digital integration and multilingual service. * NORENA JAAFAR AKMAL ADANAN Senior lecturer Faculty of Hotel and Tourism Management, UiTM Melaka
The Star
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
China bride goes viral for angelic beauty, hails from family renowned for stunning looks
BEIJING: A stunningly good looking Chinese bride has gone viral online after internet users refused to believe she was real, thinking she was generated by artificial intelligence (AI). Videos from an April wedding in Gansu province, northwestern China, went viral after the wedding photographer posted them online. The bride wore a white headscarf that covers her hair, ears, neck and shoulders, traditional clothing that suggests she is from the Chinese Hui ethnic group, which adheres to Islam. Some were stunned by her beauty, asking if the videos were AI-generated. Others likened her to Chinese actress Fan Bingbing and suspected that the bride had undergone plastic surgery. The groom and his bride, who have not been fully identified, have caused a major stir on social media.- Weibo However, the wedding photographer confirmed that the 25-year-old bride is real, adding that Hui people traditionally reject artificial cosmetic procedures. She said other women in the bride's family are also beautiful. The photographer said the bride did not normally wear make-up because she attached more value to inner beauty. The bride's name has not been revealed. Some online observers, who are not familiar with the lifestyles of China's ethnic groups, learn about their traditional costumes via viral videos. The Hui people, who numbered around 11.4 million in China's 2020 census, comprise the country's fourth largest ethnic group after the Han Chinese, who number 1.29 billion people and represent 91.11 per cent of the population, the Zhuang ethnic group and the Uygur ethnic group. The groups are widely distributed across China but mainly in northwestern and central provinces. The Hui also have their own province-level autonomous region, Ningxia Hui autonomous region in northwestern China. It is said that the name Hui originated from 'Huihui', a name used to address Uygur people who lived in Western China in the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127) period. By the time of the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368), ruled by the Mongols, people from Central Asia and further west who migrated to China, mostly Muslims, were all referred to by the name 'Huihui'. 'All brides are beautiful on their wedding day,' said one online observer. 'She reminds me of many of my Hui friends,' another person, from northwestern China's Shaanxi province, said. Meanwhile, comparing a person's appearance with faces generated by AI has become a new way of paying a compliment. Recently, a 20-year-old deaf-mute girl in southwestern China's Sichuan province was also likened to AI-generated beauty for her 'unnaturally beautiful' face. - South China Morning Post
South China Morning Post
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
China bride goes viral for angelic beauty, hails from family renowned for stunning looks
A stunningly good looking Chinese bride has gone viral online after internet users refused to believe she was real, thinking she was generated by artificial intelligence (AI). Advertisement Videos from an April wedding in Gansu province, northwestern China went viral after the wedding photographer posted them online. The bride wore a white headscarf that covers her hair, ears, neck and shoulders, traditional clothing that suggests she is from the Chinese Hui ethnic group which adheres to Islam. Some were stunned by her beauty, asking if the videos were AI-generated. The groom and his bride, who have not been fully identified, have caused a major stir on social media. Photo: Weibo Others likened her to Chinese actress Fan Bingbing and suspected that the bride had undergone plastic surgery.
South China Morning Post
16-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Malaysia's Melaka hails Fan Bingbing as Chinese tourists flock to state
The appointment of popular actress Fan Bingbing as a state tourism ambassador has boosted Melaka's digital image among tourists from China, according to the region's Chief Minister Ab Rauf Yusoh. Ab Rauf said that the Chinese actress had helped catapult the historic Malaysian city into the global tourism spotlight. 'It's a groundbreaking achievement when Melaka recorded 1.5 billion digital impressions on China's popular WeChat platform,' he said. 'This milestone follows the appointment of Fan Bingbing as the Melaka tourism friendship ambassador in conjunction with Visit Melaka Year 2024 last year,' Ab Rauf said after the official handover ceremony of a record from the Malaysia Book of Records, recognising the achievement under the title: 'Largest Digital Hits for Malaysia Tourism on WeChat Platform Using Celebrity Ambassador' at Seri Negeri on Thursday. Ab Rauf hailed the achievement as a strategic leap in efforts to capture the Chinese tourist market, firmly positioning Melaka on the world tourism map. 'Fan Bingbing has triggered an extraordinary wave of interest.
