MELAKA: Melaka Friendship Tourism Ambassador 2024 Fan Bingbing described the role as a heavy responsibility to bear and also a stroke of luck.
Fan stated that Melaka is a unique tourist destination, unlike most famous tourist 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.
Fan was appointed to the role to promote Visit Melaka Year 2024 (TMM2024) and has been in the state for the past three days.
When asked why she chose Melaka as her travel destination this year, Fan said one of the reasons was the long history between Melaka and China.
"Chinese people can relate to Melaka's culture because Melaka's history is well-known in China, and many people in Melaka speak Mandarin.
"Chinese tourists coming to Malaysia can rest assured the locals here are also fluent in Mandarin. Moreover, Melaka has similarities with Yunnan province in China, as both have a rich history," she said.
Fan said she learned about Malaysia through a colleague, who often spoke about the country, and also expressed her interest in collaborating with other parties in the future.
"Malaysia is familiar to me because I have a Malaysian colleague. We have worked together for several years.
"I am also interested in experiencing life in Malaysia. If I get the chance, I would like to live in Kuala Lumpur as well and enjoy its tall skyline.
"Malaysia has many film directors and talented individuals, so I hope to collaborate with them someday," she said.
Fan, who has 63 million followers on Weibo (a social media platform in China similar to X) and 4.1 million followers on Instagram, is often portrayed as the face of Chinese culture on the global stage.
She has starred in the Hollywood superhero movie 'X-Men: Days of Future Past,' as well as French and South Korean films.
In 2017, Fan graced the cover of Time magazine and was named one of the 100 Most Influential People.— BERNAMA