Fan Bingbing celebrates younger brother’s birthday

​In early January last year, news that Chinese actress Fan Bingbing’s younger brother, Fan Chengcheng, would be appearing as a trainee in the Chinese reality talent show Idol Producer made waves online.

Even before the first episode aired, Bingbing made sure to drum up support for her younger brother, changing her profile picture to Chengcheng’s headshot and making a number of posts showing her support for him. Bingbing’s fiancé, Chinese actor Li Chen, joined in as well, cheering on the then-17-year-old. At that time, many accused Chengcheng of riding on his famous sister’s coattails to become a celebrity.

Since then, Chengcheng has made his own mark in the entertainment industry, debuting as a member of the idol groups Nine Percent and NEX7. Soon after his debut, however, news of Bingbing’s tax evasion scandal hit the presses, causing the singer to break into tears during a fan meeting.

​However, the scandal soon blew over, with Bingbing making her grand return to the spotlight earlier this year. With Chengcheng celebrating his 19th birthday last Sunday (June 16), Bingbing joined in the celebrations online as well, making a post on her Weibo account.

“This year, [you’re] 19 years old, happy birthday, Cheng ge!” she wrote, attaching pictures of Chengcheng’s magazine covers and endorsement posters. Chengcheng later left a comment on her post, writing, “Haha, my younger sister, I’ve received your present! Also, tonight, you must listen to my new album [too]!”

The siblings’ posts are in line with a post Chengcheng made earlier this year, where he introduced Bingbing as his "younger sister".