Chinese actress Gong Li formally took an oath to become a citizen of Singapore on Saturday, the Straits Times reported.

Gong Li recites her oath at a citizenship ceremony in Singapore on Saturday, November 8th, 2008. [Lianhe Zaobao]

The 43-year-old international screen goddess collected her citizenship certificate from Singapore's Parliament Member Lee Bee Wah at a ceremony held at the Teck Ghee Community Club along with 149 other new citizens.

"Gong Li is beautiful, and has a slim figure," Lee Bee Wah was cited by the Lianhe Zaobao newspaper as saying, "I congratulated her and said I'm glad she could attend the ceremony."

The star was escorted by her husband, 57-year-old Singaporean tobacco businessman Ooi Hoe Seong, according to the report. The couple were married in 1996.

Gong Li, who was born in east China's Shandong province, had applied for Singapore citizenship earlier this year and was supposed to collect her identity card for her new country in August.

But she didn't show up, and raised the hackles of some Singaporeans. They felt the actress, who was filming a movie overseas at the time, was showing disrespect to her new country.

(CRI November 10, 2008)