Sarocha CTW Chinese New Year

Every year, centralwOrld turns into one of Bangkok’s biggest Chinese New Year destinations, and 2025 was a special edition. Welcoming the Year of the Snake, The Great Chinese New Year 2025 also celebrated 50 years of diplomatic relations between Thailand and China, with the Tourism Authority of Thailand joining the mall for a program of cultural shows, blessing ceremonies, lucky shopping and a Chinese food market that ran through the end of January.

The festival’s stage shows began on Wednesday 22 January 2025, and Freen Sarocha was one of the stars chosen to open them. In front of a packed crowd, she performed “The Moon Represents My Heart,” the Mandarin love song made famous by Teresa Teng and still one of the best-loved Chinese classics across Asia. For many fans it was a rare chance to hear her sing in Mandarin, and clips of the performance spread quickly online under #CTWCNY2025xFreen and the keyword SAROCHA CTW CHINESE NEW YEAR.

The song choice fit the season. First recorded by Teresa Teng in 1977, “The Moon Represents My Heart” uses the moon as a symbol of a love that stays constant, an image that runs through Chinese culture, from mooncakes at the Mid-Autumn Festival to lanterns at the end of the New Year celebrations. It is often sung at family gatherings and festivals, and it has been covered by generations of artists across Asia, which made it a natural way for Freen to connect with Thai-Chinese families at centralwOrld and with her fans in China, Taiwan and beyond, who make up a large part of her audience online.

She dressed for luck. Red is the color of good fortune at Chinese New Year, and Freen wore a deep V-neck red dress with Chaumet’s Joséphine Soir de Fête ruby necklace, a pairing of festive color and high jewelry that Harper’s BAZAAR Singapore later named among her best looks. Her manager, P’Title, shared moments from the night on X.

The appearance opened a big year for Freen. Earlier that month, Maison Valentino had named her its first Thai female brand ambassador, and within months she would make history at the Met Gala. Her brand work is on her fashion career page, her covers in our magazines, and more coverage in our press section.