Chinese actress Fan Bingbing was recently granted an audience by Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar during her visit to Malaysia.
Sharing several photos of her encounter with Sultan Ibrahim on social media on Dec 6, she wrote: “An unforgettable honour meeting the Sultan of this stunning Malaysian state. Touched by His Majesty’s warmth and grace.”
The visit was facilitated by Fan’s Johor-born international manager Jersey Chong, according to the sultan’s social media accounts. Fan was accompanied by her mother Zhang Chuanmei, an entrepreneur.
“We wrote officially to the Johor Istana to inquire if Bingbing could call on His Majesty. We were thrilled when the reply came that Tuanku Sultan graciously agreed to meet Bingbing,” Ms Chong told the Royal Press Office.
The next day, on Dec 7, Fan shared photos of herself eating durians in Petaling Jaya in Selangor.
“This is heaven for all durian lovers! I’ve tried D101, D24 XO, Tekka, D197 Musang King, D200 Black Thorn,” she wrote. “They also taught me to drink from the durian carpel to avoid body heat, so interesting.”
Fan, 42, was in Singapore recently to receive the Cinema Icon Award at the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF), which runs until Dec 10.
As part of its Icon in Focus segment, SGIFF also screened three of her works during its festival – Green Night (2023), Double Xposure (2012) and Buddha Mountain (2010).
