Fan was the biggest name from China at this year's Golden Horse, dubbed the Chinese-language Oscars, but she was absent from the ceremony, instead giving an acceptance speech over the phone.

In the Malaysian film "Mother Bhumi", the 44-year-old icon delivered what some critics hailed as a breakthrough performance with her portrayal of a widowed farmer and ritual healer, a far cry from her usual glamorous roles.

"When the director was discussing the role with me, he asked me 'Are you willing to let me destroy your face?' I remember answering without hesitation 'Fan Bingbing is ready to go all the way'," she told the awards ceremony in Taipei, where director Chong Keat-aun collected the statuette on her behalf.

Fan was one of China's highest paid actresses and starred in the X-Men and Iron Man franchises before she was targeted in a crackdown on tax evasion in 2018. Her career in China has been on ice since.

"For me, the role was not just a physical transformation, but also a profound resonance of souls between me and the character... The character also guided my growth, allowing me to more deeply appreciate the resilient strength inherent in women," Fan said in her acceptance speech.

"As a Chinese filmmaker, I look forward to achieving more breakthroughs in the future and using my work to convey greater values and deeper meanings that can be seen."

The director, who had earlier hinted Fan may attend the event, admitted he had no idea where she was.

Collecting another award, for the best original song in a movie, Chong thanked "Fan Bingbing who couldn't be here today. Where are you?"

"This song was written for you," Chong said of the winning track that he wrote the lyrics for.

"We all believe you can start over. This song is for you."

Chinese directors and A-Listers have largely shunned the Golden Horse Awards since a Taiwanese director voiced support for the island's independence in an acceptance speech in 2018, although last year saw a record number of entries from China.

Beijing, which claims self-ruled democratic Taiwan as part of its territory, banned entertainers from attending the event in 2019 at a time of rising political tensions between the two sides.

Best film on Saturday went to Taiwanese production "A Foggy Tale" about the island's political purges decades ago.

Hong Konger Jun Li bagged the best director award for his same-sex drama "Queerpanorama", which had its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival.

Taiwanese star Chang Chen took his second best leading actor title for playing an immigrant delivery man in New York in "Lucky Lu", directed by Korean-Canadian Lloyd Kee Choi, who was awarded best new director.