Elemental

范冰冰 (Fàn Bīngbīng) poses on the red carpet to attend the closing ceremony and the screening of the animated film Elemental out of competition, during the 76th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France. Photo: Lionel Hahn/Getty Images.

Second Act

Postcards from Berlin

Lost in Translation

迷魂記 (Vertigo)

Five years after her tax scandal, and after months of oblivion, 范冰冰 (Fàn Bīngbīng), 41, took the stage again at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival “Berlinale” in Berlin, Germany, February 23, 2023, in a program which featured the première of her latest movie, 《绿夜》 (Green Night). At the press conference, she was not spared questions about her tax scandal, to which she proudly replied that life is made of highs and lows, and that yes, if it happens to touch the bottom, one must climb up the hard way, knowing that even then one will learn a lot about the world and people. Photo © Jens Koch/Berlinale.

Through the Wall

范冰冰 (Fàn Bīngbīng), Lee Joo-young and director 韩帅 (Hán Shuài) at the photocall for the feature film 《绿夜》 (Green Night) at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival “Berlinale” in Berlin, Germany, February 23, 2023.

Return to Berlin

胡迪尼 (Houdini)

Life begins (again) at forty for Chinese movie star 范冰冰 (Fàn Bīngbīng), who after facing up a tax audit, along with a heavy fine and a four-month disappearance, brilliantly succeeded in maintaining her prominent role as China’s prima donna on Hollywood stages. But not everything was easy. She mentioned how learning to speak English was her first and most challenging priority. “I would have to say that language was the most difficult part for me. I had to learn a lot of technical language in the script. It is very hard for me. I just memorise all my lines in the screenplay. Learning to speak English has been most challenging”, she told Hindustan Times. Photos: 张家诚 (Leslie Zhāng)/Vogue Singapore.

Off-Off-Broadway

李冰冰 (Lǐ Bīngbīng) for Harper’s Bazaar China October 2010 issue. Courtesy of 中国日报 (China Daily).

山寨 (Shānzhài)

范冰冰 (Fàn Bīngbīng) as Che Guevara for Esquire China’s June 2010 “Women Issue”. Courtesy of Esquire China.

重返大海 (Back to the Sea)

范冰冰 (Fàn Bīngbīng) for The New York Times Travel Magazine China August 2021 issue. Coming home to her birth city of 青岛 (Qīngdǎo), 山东省 (Shāndōng province), China. Photos: 姜南 (Jiāng Nán).

回文 (Palindrome)

范冰冰 (Fàn Bīngbīng) dons seven masks to form a girl group of her own called FANAᖷ in preview pics for her Madame Figaro cover shoot. Photos courtesy of Cfensi.

“Love, who exempts no loved one from loving”

范冰冰 (Fàn Bīngbīng) for Madame Figaro: “Boundless expectations of love / Love connects us / Love makes us believe / Love keeps us together / Like spring blossoms”. Photo: Madame Figaro 中文版/新浪微博 (Sina Wēibó).

猫女 (Catwoman)

Chinese show star 范冰冰 (Fàn Bīngbīng) posing as Catwoman in the March 2017 issue of Cosmopolitan. Photo courtesy of Hi 范冰冰 (Fàn Bīngbīng) (@HiFanBingBing).

The Unbearable Lightness of Being Alone

Just last month Chinese actress, model and singer 范冰冰 (Fàn Bīngbīng) posed and gave an interview for Flaunt Magazine which is well worth reading. Let’s just quote one of her reflections on the meaning of life: “Experiencing challenge means you are meant to struggle in order to learn and grow. I encourage everyone to face them and work through them bravely. Don’t be afraid of challenge. It’s a gift, but such gifts won’t be easily delivered to you. You must work hard and be mentally strong to overcome each challenge presented”. Photos: 楊大龍 (Yáng Dàlóng)/Flaunt Magazine.

Eye of Ra

陈漫 (Chén Màn) is a fine art photographer born and based in 北京 (Běijīng), China who has been shooting covers and layouts for leading fashion magazines for a long time. Consequently, she is also the “best beloved” photographer of most Chinese divas, and she is said to be the only lenswoman able to make 范冰冰 (Fàn Bīngbīng) unveil herself. Photos courtesy of sohu.com.

星星们在俯视 (The Stars Look Down)

From riches to rags in two hours. So much time it took on last Friday for the French luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton to first name Chinese movie star 范冰冰 (Fàn Bīngbīng) — recently involved in a tax evasion scandal — as a worldwide brand ambassador and then to revoke her mandate due to public opinion pressure against her. The two-hour catwalk stage, however, allowed 范冰冰 (Fàn Bīngbīng) to style her Louis Vuitton Trendy Multi-Pochett Handbag with a colourful, silk midi dress with hints of lace, just to be sure that was no dream. Photos courtesy of Louis Vuitton.

費拉蘆薈 (Aloe vera)

Although not confirmed by official government sources, there is quite a reliable 星島日報 (Sing Tao Daily) report that Chinese movie star 范冰冰 (Fàn Bīngbīng) had to “cede” her starring role in the spy thriller movie The 355 — in fact, her big comeback after her big tax case — to a body double, 鹿寧 (Lù Níng), due to her being still under prohibition to leave the country.

The Woman at The Window

On Wednesday, August 7, 2019 the Chinese-language edition of The New York Times also published the uncut version of Steven Lee Myers’s interview with movie star 范冰冰 (Fàn Bīngbīng) (pictured at the window) — entitled “范冰冰 (Fàn Bīngbīng) talks about last year’s ‘lowest ebb’ and today’s ‘peace’” — which indeed does not add anything particular to the “edited” version, if not for the fact that the uncut one consists of a question and answer type interview conducted by Myers himself, plus two young 北京 (Běijīng) correspondents: 牟静雯 (Zoe Móu) and 付欣怡 (Claire Fù). On the eve of her glorieuse rentrée in Simon Kinberg’s spy thriller movie The 355, 范冰冰 (Fàn Bīngbīng) has no revenge to take and no secrets to tell either, but just a (hopefully not final) thought to share with her audience: “I just said that others can’t help you. Only you can help yourself”. Photo: 丛妍 (Cóng Yán) for The New York Times.

多语制 (Multilingualism)

The exclusive interview of The New York Times correspondent Steven Lee Myers with Chinese movie star 范冰冰 (Fàn Bīngbīng) (the woman in purple pictured in the mirror) is now available online also in Chinese at https://cn.nytimes.com. Just after surviving her tax scandal to make her experience not a tragedy that need never have staged but an empress saga, 范冰冰 (Fàn Bīngbīng) decided to guess deeper meanings from her own dark times: “It may be a trough I encountered in my life or in my work, but this trough is actually a good thing”, she said. “It has made me calm down and think seriously about what I want to do in my future life”. Apparently “牟某 (Móu Mǒu)” is no longer her agent. And apparently, 李晨 (Lǐ Chén) is no longer her boyfriend. But, of course, do not take rumours for facts. Photo: 丛妍 (Cóng Yán) for The New York Times.