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.

SE: How did it feel walking on the red carpet?
FBB: I felt very dizzy, as I have not slept in the past 24 hours … I didn’t get to eat anything before the event at 6 p.m. because I was then busy selecting jewelries and gowns for the occasion.

SE: Is it worth it being so overworked?
FBB: I’m a little tired … but it’s a lot better now. I slept some, ate several bowls of ramen noodles I brought with me, and did several interviews by the sea.

SE: Some say that you spend many efforts to gain certain roles and snatching them away from others. Won’t this bring you a lot of enemies?
FBB: I’ve had roles taken from me as well. The problem of “snatching them away” does not exist. …  This is a heavy workload, and most people have trouble imagining how I could do this. When people doubt me, I say to them, “Okay, then I won’t do it and leave it to you, can you do this?”, and they tell me that they don’t have the stamina take the job. I do have the ability to take breaks and go on vacations to Europe and such, but I don’t think that now is the time.

SE: Do you really have to work this hard?
FBB: This is something that every friend of mine ask me. My answer is that I feel that so far I think I can still handle everything, as I really like to work. Going back to the topic of the dragon dress, I believe that someone other than me may not even have the guts to wear it. Everyone knows the limit of how far they can drive themselves. All I’m doing now is performing at my best, and that’s enough for me.

SE:You’ve been in movies like “Wheat” and “Lost in Beijing” that are more artistic, and also movies like “Bodyguards and Assassins” and “Sophie’s Revenge” that are commercial films, why are you loved by both of these types of movies?
FBB: I have two different types of qualities, some are what commercial films need, and other, more real things that artistic directors pursue. Wang Xiaoshuai thinks that in Li Yu’s role, I’m completely different, and asked me why. I said, this is me without packaging, without all the extraneous glamour, this is the real me.

SE: Are you someone who’s highly materialistic?
FBB: No, everyone should earn their money based on their own ability! If the money is earned by my hardwork and diligence, I’m very happy about it … Working with directors like Xiao Shuai, the pay is often not high. Making money is not my purpose to act in movies, as they really don’t pay much. It’s only one of my dreams, and I hope to seek happiness in them.