Liu Yifei

Liu Yifei
刘亦菲
Liu looking forward
Liu in 2017
Born
An Feng

(1987-08-25) August 25, 1987 (age 36)
Wuhan, Hubei, China
Other names
  • Crystal Liu
  • Liu Ximeizi
  • Xixi
Citizenship
  • China (before 2002)
  • United States (after 2002)
Alma materBeijing Film Academy
Occupations
  • Actress
  • singer
  • model
Years active2002–present
Musical career
OriginJapan
Genres
Instrument(s)Singing
LabelsSony Japan (2005–2010)
Liu Yifei
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Liu Ximeizi
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
An Feng (birth name)
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese

Crystal Liu (born An Feng; August 25, 1987), better known by her stage name Liu Yifei (Chinese: 刘亦菲; pinyin: Liú Yìfēi), is a Chinese-American actress, singer, and model. She has appeared multiple times on Forbes China Celebrity 100 list and was named one of the New Four Dan actresses of China in 2009. She is widely known as "Fairy Sister" in China.

In 2020, Liu became known to international audiences for starring as the titular character in the Disney live-action film Mulan. The role earned her nominations for a Critics' Choice Super Award, a Kids' Choice Award and a Saturn Award.

Early life

Liu was born in Tongji Hospital in Wuhan, Hubei as An Feng (安风). She is an only child. Her father is An Shaokang (安少康), a 1st Secretary in the Chinese Embassy in France and a French language university professor from Beijing, and her mother is Liu Xiaoli (刘晓莉), a dancer and stage performer from Hubei. Her parents divorced when she was 10 years old, and she was raised solely by her mother. That same year, she adopted her mother's surname and changed her name to "Liu Ximeizi" (刘茜美子). Her godfather is Chen Jinfei (陈金飞), the Chairman of Beijing Tongchan Investment Group.

In 1997, when Liu was 10 years old, she and her mother immigrated to the United States. She lived in Queens, New York City where she attended Louis Pasteur Middle School 67. In 2002, she returned to China to pursue an acting career and took the stage name "Liu Yifei" (刘亦菲). Several weeks after returning to China, Liu was accepted into the Performance Institute of Beijing Film Academy at age 15 and graduated in 2006.

Career

2003–2006: Rising popularity

Immediately after her admittance into the Beijing Film Academy, Liu received offers to star in various television series. Her first television appearance in 2003 was in the period romance drama The Story of a Noble Family (金粉世家), based on Zhang Henshui's novel of the same name. The series achieved the highest ratings on CCTV, and positive reviews from the audience. The same year, she was chosen by Zhang Jizhong to play Wang Yuyan in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, an adaptation of Louis Cha's wuxia novel of the same title. The series was broadcast in Taiwan and achieved a rating of 5.69, becoming the highest-rated Chinese drama in Taiwan. Liu's role as the beautiful Wang Yuyan earned her the nickname of "Fairy Sister" by the media and fans.

In 2005, Liu starred in Chinese Paladin, a fantasy action drama adapted from the role-playing game The Legend of Sword and Fairy. The drama earned a cult following and solidified her popularity in China.

After the drama aired, Liu gained acclaim for her performance and swiftly experienced a surge in popularity. The same year, she was chosen as the "Golden Eagle Goddess" at the 6th China Golden Eagle TV Art Festival.

2008–2013: Transition to film

After achieving success in television, Liu then ventured onto the big screen. In 2007, she joined William Morris Agency (WMA) and was subsequently cast in her first Hollywood production, The Forbidden Kingdom. She played Golden Sparrow, an orphan seeking revenge against her parents' killer. Thereafter, she starred in romantic-comedy Love in Disguise (2010) with Taiwanese-American singer and actor Wang Leehom.

In 2011, she starred in fantasy supernatural film A Chinese Ghost Story, adapted from Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio. The same year, she was cast as Wu Qing (Emotionless) in Gordon Chan's wuxia film The Four, adapted from Woon Swee Oan's novel series The Four Great Constables. She subsequently reprised her role in two other installments of the film series.

Liu won the Best Actress award at the fifth Macau International Movie Festival for her role as Lingju and Diaochan in the historical film The Assassins (2012).

2014–present: International collaborations and television comeback

In 2014, Liu collaborated with Korean actor-singer Rain for the romance film For Love or Money, based on Hong Kong novelist Amy Cheung's 2006 novel of the same name. Though it did reasonably well at the box office, the film was criticized for its storyline and production.

Liu starred in The Third Way of Love (2015). Her performance in the film led to her win for the Most Anticipated Actress award at the 16th Chinese Film Media Awards. The same year, she was named the first Chinese ambassador of Dior Prestige and became the global ambassador of Tissot.

I made a Xixi [Liu Yifei] film festival for myself, and saw her works have the shock moments in her performance. That convinced me that she would be perfect for the part [leading actress in "The Chinese Widow"]. When you have two actors like Xixi and Emile, you know they are so intelligent and so clever and so talented...

—Academy Award-winning director Bille August

In 2016, Liu starred in romance film Night Peacock, a Chinese-France co-production directed by Dai Sijie. She then starred in the youth romance film So Young 2: Never Gone.

In 2017, Liu starred in romantic fantasy film Once Upon a Time by award-winning director Anthony LaMolinara and Zhao Xiaoding. She also starred in the historical film The Chinese Widow directed by Bille August. The film premiered at the Shanghai International Film Festival as the opening film, and Liu was nominated as Best Actress. The same year, Liu reunited with White Vengeance co-star Feng Shaofeng in the fantasy comedy film Hanson and the Beast.

In November 2017, Liu was cast as Mulan in the live-action adaptation of the 1998 Disney animated film, which was released in 2020 to mixed reviews.

In December 2017, it was announced that Liu will star in the upcoming fantasy mystery television series, The Love of Hypnosis. This marks her first small-screen comeback in 12 years.

In 2022, she won the Best Actress Award at the 13th Macau International Television Festival for her role as Zhao Paner in the costume drama "Meng Hua Lu"(梦华录).

Controversy

In August 2019, Liu reshared an image posted by Chinese newspaper People's Daily, an official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. The image included a quote from Chinese reporter Fu Guohao who worked for People's Daily-owned tabloid Global Times and was subsequently assaulted by protesters after stating during the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests: "I support Hong Kong police. You can beat me now. What a shame for Hong Kong." This sparked international controversy, with Liu being accused of supporting police brutality. Following this, the hashtag #BoycottMulan started trending supporting a boycott of the movie. In response to the controversy, Liu was not present at the 2019 D23 Expo, which gave fans an exclusive sneak peek of Mulan. When asked about the controversy in February 2020, Liu stated: "I think it's just a very sensitive situation."

During an interview with Variety magazine at the premiere of Mulan on March 10, 2020, Liu described herself as "Asian" instead of "Chinese", which caused anger among some Chinese social media netizens, who threatened to boycott the movie and accused her of forgetting her roots. They also questioned why a non-Chinese national was playing the "legendary Chinese icon".

In March 2021, Liu cut ties with clothing brand Adidas over its support for the Better Cotton Initiative—a group funded by the United States government via USAID—after the trade body pulled out of Xinjiang, China citing concerns of forced labour involving Uighur Muslims. The move was echoed by various celebrities in China as part of a broader campaign by the Chinese government to pressure Western brands and consumers into continuing their purchase of cotton produced in the region.

Music career

Liu signed with Sony Music Entertainment Japan in 2005. She released her first Japanese single "Mayonaka no Door" with Sony Music on July 19, 2006. Her debut album Liu Yifei was released the next month in various parts of Asia such as mainland China, Hong Kong and throughout Southeast Asia, featuring a diverse music repertoire including rap and soft rock. In the same year, Liu also released her Japanese album in which the single, "Mayonaka no Door" was chosen to be an ending theme for the anime series Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z by TV Tokyo.

In 2020, she performed the Mandarin and English version of the song "Reflection" for the live-action Mulan.

Filmography

Film

Year English title Role Notes
2004 Love of May Zhao Xuan
The Love Winner Jin Qiaoli
2006 Abao's Story Xixi Cameo
2008 The Forbidden Kingdom Golden Sparrow
2010 Love in Disguise Song Xiaoqing
2011 A Chinese Fairy Tale Nie Xiaoqian
White Vengeance Consort Yu
2012 The Four Wu Qing
The Assassins Lingju / Diaochan
2013 The Four II Wu Qing
2014 The Four III Wu Qing
For Love or Money Xing Lu
2015 Outcast Zhao Lian
The Third Way of Love Zou Yu
2016 Night Peacock Elsa
So Young 2: Never Gone Su Yunjin
2017 Once Upon a Time Bai Qian / Si Yin / Su Su
The Chinese Widow Ying
Hanson and the Beast Bai Xianchu
2020 Mulan Hua Mulan

Television series

Year English title Chinese title Role Notes
2003 The Story of a Noble Family 金粉世家 Bai Xiuzhu
Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils 天龙八部 Wang Yuyan
2005 Chinese Paladin 仙剑奇侠传 Zhao Ling'er
Doukou Nianhua 豆蔻年华 Teacher Xiao Zhao Cameo
2006 The Return of the Condor Heroes 神鵰俠侶 Xiaolongnü
2022 A Dream of Splendor 梦华录 Zhao Paner
2023 Meet Yourself 去有风的地方 Xu Hongdou
TBA The Love of Hypnosis 南煙齋筆錄 Lu Mansheng Post-Production
TBA The Tale of Rose 玫瑰故事 Huang Yimei

Discography

Albums

Album information Track list Notes
Title: Liu Yifei
Label: Sony BMG Music Entertainment (Hong Kong) Limited
Release date: August 31, 2006
  1. 泡芙女孩
  2. 就要我滋味
  3. 心悸
  4. 幸运草
  5. 放飞美丽
  6. 世界的秘密
  7. 一克拉的眼泪
  8. 做你的秒钟
  9. 毛毛雨
  10. 爱的延长赛
Chinese album
Title: All My Words
Label: Sony Music Entertainment Japan
Release date: September 6, 2006
  1. 真夜中のドア
  2. 恋する週末
  3. HAPPINESS
  4. 愛のミナモト
  5. どこまでも ひろがる空に向かって
  6. テノヒラノカナタ
  7. My sunshiny day
  8. 世界の秘密
  9. CLOSE TO ME
  10. 月の夜
  11. スピード
  12. Pieces of my words ~言の花~
Japanese album

Singles

Album information Track list Notes
Title: Mayonaka no Door
Label: Sony Music Entertainment Japan
Release date: July 19, 2006
  1. 真夜中のドア
  2. brightly
  3. 真夜中のドア (Instrumental)
  4. brightly (Instrumental)
Japanese album

Soundtracks

Year English title Chinese title Album Notes
2006 I Want My Taste 我要我的滋味 theme song for Yili milk
2011 Lan Ruo's Lyrics 兰若词 theme song for video game A Chinese Ghost Story Online
Song of Chu 楚歌 White Vengeance OST with Feng Shaofeng
2012 Dreams Won't Die 梦不死 The Four OST with Deng Chao, Ronald Cheng & Collin Chou
Waiting For Snow 等雪来 The Assassins OST with Chow Yun-fat
2013 Letting Go 放下 The Four II OST
2016 Still Here 还在这里 So Young 2: Never Gone OST with Reno Wang
2017 Three Lifetimes, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms 三生三世十里桃花 Once Upon a Time OST with Yang Yang
2020 Reflection 自己 Mulan (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Liu Yifei also sung this song in English

Awards and nominations

Competitive feature film festivals main competition unit

Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2016 40th Montreal World Film Festival Best Actress Night Peacock Nominated [citation needed]
2017 20th Shanghai International Film Festival Best Actress The Chinese Widow Nominated

Other film awards

Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2013 5th Macau International Movie Festival Best Actress The Assassins Won
2016 16th Chinese Film Media Awards Most Anticipated Actress The Third Way of Love Won
13th Guangzhou College Student Film Festival Most Popular Actress Night Peacock, Never Gone Won
2017 9th Macau International Movie Festival Best Actress Once Upon a Time Nominated
2021 1st Critics' Choice Super Awards Best Actress in an Action Movie Mulan Nominated
34th Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Movie Actress Nominated
46th Saturn Awards Best Actress Nominated

Forbes China Celebrity 100

Year Rank Ref.
2005 58th
2006 51st
2007 43rd
2008 87th
2009 43rd
2010 66th
2011 93rd
2017 23rd
2019 89th
2020 30th

This page was last updated at 2023-12-09 05:53 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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