China’s Zhao Wei Joins Alliance as Newest Ambassador
Internationally renowned Chinese actress and director Zhao Wei attended the Alliance Future Summit in New York on November 20 where she was officially named as the Alliance’s China Ambassador.
Zhao Wei, also known as Vicki Zhao, is one of the most popular celebrities in China, with over 62 million followers on Sina Weibo (equivalent of Twitter).
She is a darling of the Chinese film industry and became an Asian superstar overnight in 1998-1999 for starring as Xiaoyanzi (“Little Swallow”) in the Chinese TV series My Fair Princess. She then started filming movies and has had many box-office smash-hits movies, including Shaolin Soccer (2001), Red Cliff I&II (2008-2009), Mulan (2009) Painted Skin I&II (2008, 2012) and Dearest (2014). Her directorial debut last year was a huge success with the film ‘So Young’ becoming one of China’s highest grossing films.
Like other Alliance Ambassadors, she has put her fame to good use, actively participating in charitable work and helping raise funds for disaster relief in China. Before joining the Alliance, she was the Ambassador for UNICEF and China’s Red Cross. Now she joins us as the Alliance moves into Phase 2 of its 10-year plan to transform the global clean cooking sector.
“Air quality is one of the top concerns among Chinese people today. The rural sector and household air pollution has been missing as the government investigates vehicle emissions and industrial pollutions for solutions,” Zhao said at the Cookstoves Future Summit when being asked what brought her to this role.
“I am proud to be the Ambassador of the Alliance and will communicate to my fans advocating for clean cooking, clean air and a better future for the world.”
The Alliance looks forward to working with Zhao Wei on an awareness campaign that will be launched next year to educate more people in China about the dangers of cooking and heating with solid fuels.