Liu Ye has been made an ambassador of the French Riviera as the number of Chinese tourists to the glamorous beach resort in Côte d'Azur continues to grow.

The 38-year old Chinese actor shot to fame for his role in the 2006 film 'Curse of the Golden Flower.' He eventually gained worldwide recognition after starring alongside Jackie Chan in 'The Founding of a Republic' and Meryl Streep in 'Dark Matter.' He is currently filming the movie 'The Bombing' with Bruce Willis.

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Liu's role as an ambassador includes encouraging more of Chinese citizens to visit and tour the South of France. Chinese tourists rank second only to Americans as the highest visitors to France. However, their trips seem to only focus on shopping in Paris and sight-seeing.

According to France's former foreign minister Laurent Fabius, over two million Chinese tourists came to France in 2015, which gave the French economy a much-needed boost. Although only 90,000 of those Chinese visitors travelled to the Côte d'Azur, the record already reflects a 50 percent increase. The French government hopes to increase the number of Chinese visitors to 200,000 per year by 2020.

Liu is married a Frenchwoman. The couple tied the knot in 2009. "I am happy to honor the home country of my wife and my second, adopted country," he said.

As the French Riviera's ambassador, he promised to promote the idea of having direct flights between Nice and China. This move can serve as a very significant step and can be of big help in attracting more Chinese tourists to France.

TagsLiu Ye, French Riviera, France, Liu Ye Ambassador, Chinese Tourists, Cote D'Azur, French Tourism, Saint-Tropez, Cannes