Fan Bingbing at Cannes Festival. Four of her many outfits during the festival are below the cut.

Since the 7th Century, only the emperors of China could wear a longpao, a yellow robe stitched with dragons, symbolic of power and prosperity. So it was that conspires of coups forged their own dragon robes at home, only to be found and sentenced to death. So when Fan Bingbing appeared at the Cannes Festival in a dress fashioned after the dragon robes of the emperors, critics compared her with the emperor-wannabes, calling her move a sign of ambition. In an interview with Sina Entertainment (SE) translated by ixiedin@cfensi, Fan Bingbing says it is only her way of showing the world her culture. She also speaks of her ambitions, and attributes to her overfilled work schedule to her just trying to do her best.

SE: You wore something similar when you signed into Bona Yinglong, do you tend to favor this style of clothing?
FBB: I felt that since this is an international stage, I need to show that I’m from China, not Korea or Japan. Some French had once thought I was from other Asian countries, but with this dress I can express my origin without having to personally explain this to them, so this feeling of nationalism is very important to me.

SE: But in the Chinese mindset, dragons are for males and phoenixes are for females.
FBB: Foreigners think of Chinese girls as gentle and soft beauties, I want to give them a new perspective. Chinese girls can also be powerful, not just sweet or cute. I want to give them something different.

SE: What do you say to Qin Hailu’s microblog on Sina, “[FBB's] so blunt as to wear her ambition in public.” ?
FBB: If she really thinks that’s ambition, then it’s hers, not mine. Fan Bingbing is only a simple person who hopes to show her culture through her dress. (more…)