Former Chinese pop diva Faye Wong, who is on a three-year hiatus, is back in the headlines for her philanthropy work.

Wong left her home in Beijing Thursday morning and arrived in Lhasa later in the day to help carry out a series of medical operations for poor children with cleft palates.

Singer Faye Wong is seen at the Beijing Capital International Airport on November 27, 2008, heading for Chengdu where she would be en route to Lhasa to assist children with cleft palates. [CFP.cn/yule.sohu.com]

Accompanying the star are her actor husband Li Yapeng and a medical team from the Smile Angel Foundation, which the couple established in 2006 following the birth of their daughter Li Yan, who was born with a cleft lip.

The exact itinerary of Wong's Lhasa trip is unknown, but sources at the Smile Angel Foundation say Wong and her husband will on Friday visit a newborn baby who is the 2008th beneficiary of the foundation.

During their three-day stay, the couple will also research the possibility of building a hospital there, Li Yapeng's publicist, Ma Jia, said.

This might be Wong's only public appearance before the end of this year. Since 2005, the singer has rarely been seen in public except for the annual fundraising banquet held by the Smile Angel Foundation.

However, media reports have hinted that this year the banquet, originally planned to be held in Hong Kong in December, has been canceled due to the global financial crisis. The foundation didn't confirm the rumor.