Liu Yifei

Liu Yifei (born 25 August 1987^[1]), birth name An Feng (安风), legal name Liu Ximeizi (刘茜美子),^[2] also known as Crystal Liu, is a popular Chinese actress, model and singer. Said to be one of the most beautiful Chinese actresses, Liu is widely known as "Fairy Sister" in the entertainment industry for her sweet and delicate image. In 2009, she was named as one of the New Four Dan Actresses in China.

Early life and education

Liu was born in Tongji Hospital in Wuhan, Hubei and her birth name was "An Feng".^[1] 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, while her mother is Liu Xiaoli (刘晓莉), a dancer and a stage performer. 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 family name and changed her legal name to "Liu Ximeizi" and began modelling, along with training in singing, dancing and playing the piano. Her godfather is Chen Jinfei (陈金飞), the Chairman of Beijing Tongchan Investment Group (北京通产投资集团).^[3][4]

When she was 11 years old, Liu and her mother moved to New York City, where she attended Louis Pasteur Middle School 67.^[5] She returned to China in 2002 to pursue an acting career and adopted the stage name "Liu Yifei" (刘亦菲). Several weeks later, Liu was accepted into the Performance Institute of Beijing Film Academy at the age of 15, and graduated in 2006.

Career

Acting career

2003-2006: Starring roles in television series and rise to fame

Immediately after her admittance into the Beijing Film Academy, Liu Yifei received offers to star in various television series. Her first television appearance was in The Story of a Noble Family, based on Zhang Henshui's novel of the same name. The series was broadcast on prime-time slots in 2003, and became the highest-rated show in CCTV.

The same year, she was chosen to play Wang Yuyan in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, an adaptation of Louis Cha's novel of the same title. The series was broadcast in Taiwan, achieving a rating of 5.69 and becoming the highest-rated mainland television series in Taiwan. Liu's role as the beautiful Wang Yuyan earned her the nickname of "Fairy Sister" by the media and fans.

In 2004, Liu made her film debut in the Taiwanese romantic film Love of May.

In 2005, Liu played Zhao Ling'er in Chinese Paladin, an adaptation of the action RPG The Legend of Sword and Fairy. This role shot Liu to fame in China and made her a household name overnight. She gained many fans, and was especially popular among younger viewers who grew up playing the game the show was based on.

After intense speculation on who would play Xiaolongnü in The Return of the Condor Heroes, the role was finally offered to Liu. The series was based on Louis Cha's novel of the same title. Liu's casting was backed by Cha himself, who felt that she had all the necessary qualities to portray the young and innocent female protagonist.^[6] After the drama aired, it garnered high ratings as well as critical acclaim. Liu started to gain recognition in Southeast Asia after the show was broadcast in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. Due to her soaring popularity, Liu was chosen to become the "Golden Eagle Goddess" at the 6th China Golden Eagle TV Art Festival.

2008 - present: Movie roles

After achieving success in television, Liu then ventured onto the big screen. In 2007, she starred in her first Hollywood production The Forbidden Kingdom, in which she played Golden Sparrow, an orphan seeking revenge against her parents' killer.

In 2010, she starred in romance-comedy movie Love in Disguise opposite Taiwanese singer-actor Wang Leehom, which went on to become the highest-grossing film for a first-time director in Chinese history, grossing over 60 million RMB domestically. She then starred alongside Louis Koo in Wilson Yip's supernatural film A Chinese Ghost Story, adapted from one of stories of Pu Songling's Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio.

In 2011, she starred in historical film White Vengeance. The movie became the opening film at the Pyongyang Film Festival, receiving positive critical reception. It is also commercially successful. Liu was then cast as Wu Qing in Chen Kaige's wuxia action film The Four, a film adaptation of Woon Swee Oan's novel series Si Da Ming Bu (四大名捕; The Four Great Constables). The same year, she played Diao Chan in The Assassins, starring Chow Yun-fat as the titular Cao Cao in a movie about the famous warlord's later years.

From 2012 to 2013, Liu reprised her role as Wu Qing in the second and third installments of The Four trilogy.

In 2013, she starred in American-Chinese action film Outcast directed by Nick Powell, alongside Nicolas Cage and Hayden Christensen. The film was originally planned for a 2014 release but was delayed to September 2015. At the 5th Macau International Movie Festival, Liu won her first major acting award in her 11-year career when she was crowned the Best Actress for her performance in The Assassins. She also received the Golden Lotus Award for Best Actress.

In 2014, she collaborated with Korean actor-singer Rain in For Love or Money, based on Hong Kong novelist Amy Cheung's 2006 novel of the same name. Liu then starred opposite Korean actor Song Seung-heon in the romance melodrama The Third Way of Love, which was released in September, 2015.

In June 2015, to prepare for her role as a foreign student in the Chinese-French production Night Peacock, Liu started to learn the French language. The art film premiered at the Busan International Film Festival and was nominated in the Asian Film category. It was also nominated at the Montreal World Film Festival, where the film won the first prize at the Special Chinese Film Festival.

In November, Liu was cast as the female lead in Bille August's action film The Chinese Widow. In December, she was cast as the female lead in the film adaptation of fantasy novel Three Lives Three Worlds Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms, titled Once Upon a Time. The film, which co-stars actor Yang Yang will be released in 2017.

In July 2016, she starred in youth romance film Never Gone alongside Kris Wu, based on the popular novel by Xin Yiwu.

In August 2016, Liu was cast alongside Feng Shaofeng in the fantasy romance film Yi Dai Yao Jing. In November, it was announced that Liu will be joining Samuel L. Jackson in the American-Chinese science fiction film Inversion, scheduled to begin filming on February 27, 2017.^[7]

Music career

Liu Yifei made her first foray into her music career in August 2005 when she secured a recording contract with Sony Music Entertainment Japan. After taking up singing and dancing lessons for a year, she released her first 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, Taiwan, 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 Doa" was chosen to be the theme for an animation series Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z by Tokyo TV.

Filmography

Film

Television

Discography

Albums

Singles

Soundtracks

References

External links

• Liu Yifei at the Internet Movie Database
• Liu Yifei on Sina Weibo