Fan Bingbing is well and truly back in the spotlight. The Chinese actress, who’s spent the last few years building her career outside the mainland, has just picked up the Best Actress award at the 62nd Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan for her role in the Malaysian film Mother Earth. Naturally, Weibo exploded within minutes — and not quietly.
Fan’s win instantly became one of the night’s biggest talking points. A huge chunk of Chinese netizens even went as far as praising the Golden Horse Awards themselves, calling the ceremony “more open” and “far more refined” compared to most domestic film events.
For an award show, that’s basically the equivalent of earning a Michelin star.
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| Golden Horse Awards Praised as Fan Bingbing’s Performance Sparks Massive Buzz (Photo: Yahoo) |
Despite the focus on her performance, Fan Bingbing’s win also stirred wider conversation online, with some netizens linking the moment to the ongoing political tension between China and Taiwan.
For them, the fact that a mainland actress—currently unable to work in China—earned a major honour in Taiwan added an unexpected layer of intrigue, making her award feel bigger than just a career milestone.
A Powerful Film, a Strong Character, and a Career-Defining Role
Directed by Zhang Ji’an, Mother Earth snagged three wins out of its eight nominations, including Best Actress, Best Original Song, and Best Cinematography.
The film is set in a northern Malaysian farming village in the late ’90s, capturing the daily struggles of communities caught in land disputes and political tensions.
Fan Bingbing plays Feng Yin, a widowed woman with two very different lives:
– in the daytime, she fights to protect villagers’ rights to their land
– at night, she steps into the role of a traditional spiritual medium
It’s a complex, layered character — one that lets Fan Bingbing show an intensity and emotional maturity she hasn’t always been given room to explore on screen.
Her performance moves between quiet resilience and sharp determination, portraying a woman carrying the weight of her people on her shoulders.
Fan Bingbing’s Tearful Speech: “This Role Changed Me”
Accepting the award via online connection, Fan was visibly emotional as she thanked the jury, the director, and the entire Mother Earth team.
She said the role wasn’t just a creative shift, but “a deeply personal journey” that opened her eyes to “the strength and depth of a woman’s inner world.”
It’s the kind of speech that quietly hits you — thoughtful, reflective, and surprisingly grounded for someone returning to major awards attention.
Since the 2018 tax controversy that shifted her career direction, Fan Bingbing has been focusing on international projects, slowly shaping a new chapter away from the Chinese mainstream.
This Golden Horse win feels like a major milestone — not a soft comeback, but a confident stride.
Netizens even described the moment as a “phoenix-like rise”, signalling that her name still carries weight, talent, and undeniable presence across Asia’s entertainment scene.
With Mother Earth sweeping major categories and Fan’s win becoming the headline everywhere, one thing’s clear: Fan Bingbing’s next chapter is officially underway — and it’s looking stronger than ever.