Chinese actress Fan Bingbing meets Malaysian king during movie promotional tour
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Chinese actress Fan Bingbing (third from left) met Malaysian King Sultan Ibrahim (seated) during her five-state tour in the country to promote her locally shot film Mother Bhumi.
PHOTO: OFFICIALSULTANIBRAHIM/INSTAGRAM
Chinese actress Fan Bingbing met Malaysia’s King, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, at Istana Pasir Pelangi in Johor Bahru on May 12 as part of a five-state promotional tour for her latest film Mother Bhumi (2025).
Directed by award-winning Malaysian film-maker Chong Keat Aun, Mother Bhumi is set in rural Kedah near the Thai border in the late 1990s and was shot in the state’s paddy fields.
Fan, 44, plays a widowed farmer who moonlights as a traditional healer, or bomoh.
The King’s official Instagram account posted a photo of the meeting, and lauded Fan and the film-makers’ efforts in promoting Malaysia through the international film industry.
Also present at the meeting were director Chong, Mother Bhumi’s Malaysian producer Wong Kew Soon and Fan’s manager Jersey Chong, who is from Johor.
Fan travelled across Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, Melaka, Penang and Kedah over five days, and posted several photos and videos on Instagram.
Her first stop of the tour on May 10 was at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, a mall in the Malaysian capital where thousands of fans turned up despite heavy rain.
During her visit to Melaka, she sampled satay celup, a local dish she said she “had to come back for”.
She wrote in a May 15 post: “5 days, 5 states, countless memories. Hope everyone brought home more than just memories of the film, but also memories of Malaysia’s warmth and flavours.”
The tour drew fans who had flown in from China, with some following the trail across multiple cities, she added.
Fan’s connection to Malaysia has grown significantly in recent years. She was appointed Melaka’s Tourism Friendship Ambassador in 2024, a role credited with generating significant Chinese tourist interest in the state. In 2025, she was conferred an honorary Datuk title by the Governor of Melaka.
Mother Bhumi has earned recognition on the international festival circuit, competing in the main competition section of the 38th Tokyo International Film Festival in November 2025. It won three awards at the 62nd Golden Horse Awards that same month: Best Leading Actress for Fan, Best Cinematography and Best Original Film Song.
