KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 4 — Datuk Fan Bingbing, Chinese actress and Melaka tourism ambassador, recently received the Melaka International Cultural Diplomacy Icon Award in recognition of her role in fostering cross cultural dialogue.

In a post on X, she wrote, “Culture connects the world. Honoured to receive the Melaka International Cultural Diplomacy Icon Award. May dialogue, creativity, and understanding continue to connect us across cultures.”

The 44-year-old star, who was conferred an honorary datukship in Malaysia, has long maintained close ties with the region, frequently visiting for holidays and public appearances.

She also highlighted her brand Fan Beauty Diary’s presence in Malaysia, sharing on X, “A casual stop with at Watsons Limbongan Melaka to visit my own brand Fan Beauty Diary. Thank you Datuk Seri @ab_rauf_yusoh for joining me. Small moments, big meaning.”

Her latest venture brought her to Singapore, where she launched her beauty brand at Watsons Jewel Changi Airport, marking its second offline market outside China after Malaysia.

During her visit to Singapore, she told the Straits Times, “Compared with Chinese women, they’re healthier. They go to the gym more and eat more cleanly,” when asked about Singaporean women.

She added, “Singapore and Malaysia are so close and there are also a lot of Chinese people here, whether as tourists or residents.”

When asked, Fan acknowledged the higher cost of living in Singapore compared to Malaysia, saying, “(It’s) expensive here!” before laughing and adding in English, “(I’m) very real.”

“In Singapore, you’ll feel everything is so expensive, even a bun. But its quality is very good and the food is very good. It’s a garden city so everywhere you go, it shows up well in pictures,” she said.

She explained that she adjusts her skincare routine for tropical climates, with sunscreen as her first priority.

“I guess Singaporean girls don’t really care about getting tanned, do they? So it’s all right, they don’t have to do that. But maybe after being out in the sun, they could do some sun repair skincare, like using face masks,” she said.

C beauty, or Chinese cosmetics, is gaining traction globally, with rising demand in Southeast Asia despite differing beauty norms between Chinese and regional consumers.

Fan described C beauty’s consumer uptake in Singapore as “ascendant” and compared it with K beauty, noting, “K beauty has superior packaging, with strong and varied visual impact, while C beauty focuses more on effective ingredients and formulas.”

Her appearance drew crowds, with about 220 people attending her fan meet, which required a minimum spend of S$499 (RM1,572) on her products at Watsons.

She founded Fan Beauty Diary in 2018, following a path similar to global celebrities such as Rihanna and Kylie Jenner who built beauty empires from their fame.

Despite not appearing in mainstream Chinese productions since her 2018 tax scandal, Fan has returned to acting and won the Golden Horse award for Best Actress in November 2025 for her role in the Malaysian film Mother Bhumi.

She said balancing her dual roles remains challenging. “When I’m not filming, I’m usually working on my brand. I’ll be thinking of products, testing them and promoting them, so I do spend quite a bit of time on my brand.”