Fan Bingbing was born in Qingdao, Shandong on September 16, 1981. Soon after, she moved with her parents to Yantai (her father is from Qingdao and her mother is from Yantai). In 1996, she was admitted to the Shanghai Xie Jin Hengtong Art School. During her time there, she collaborated with actress Liu Xuehua to film the TV series "The Strong Woman," where she played the role of the male lead Shao Bing's fiancée. She was spotted by Liu Xuehua who then recommended her to Qiong Yao (1938- ). In 1997, she participated in Qiong Yao's drama "My Fair Princess" and signed a contract with Qiong Yao's agency.
In 2000, Fan Bingbing signed with Wang Jinghua and became one of her artists. Later that year at the end of 2000, Huayi Brothers established its brokerage company with Wang Jinghua as the General Manager. Fan Bingbing followed Wang Jinghua and signed with Huayi's brokerage company.