In an interview with a Hong Kong radio show, singer, and actress Joyce Cheng said her weight makes her popular with foreigners - people of color in particular.
Cheng has just returned to Hong Kong from Paris, where she was shooting a movie with Chrissie Chau. She also filmed a music video for a single from her recently released album Joyce.
The 28-year-old Cheng has a birthday coming up on May 30, and she plans to spend it at the beach.
The host of the radio show took the opportunity to turn the line of questioning toward Cheng's body, asking the famously curvy star about her choice of swimwear and nude tanning.
Cheng said that she will not wear a bikini or tan naked, but not because her weight makes her feel self-conscious.
"I feel great. Foreigners actually really like body types like mine," said Cheng, "but that's totally not the case in Hong Kong."
During the interview, Cheng also laughingly claimed she is more popular than her co-star Chau, and that she is "especially popular with black people."
Early in her career, Cheng struggled with her weight. At one point, she lost more than 115 pounds, but since then has stopped "caring about what others think."
The daughter of late comedian and actress Lydia Sum, who is known for her plus-sized figure, hopes to inspire others with her choice to maintain her natural weight.
"If you are facing any difficulties in your life, please look at me," she wrote in a Facebook post last year. "If I can bear it, you definitely can too! Please don't let your happiness depend on your body shape!"
Joyce is currently eighth on the Hong Kong iTunes music chart, one spot ahead of Adele's 25 and eight spots ahead of Taylor Swift's 1989.
