Liu Yifei

Liu Yifei (; born August 25, 1987) is a Chinese-born American actress. She has appeared multiple times on ''Forbes'' China Celebrity 100 list and was named one of the New Four Dan actresses of China by Tencent Entertainment in 2009. She is known for her roles in Chinese TV shows such as '' The Story of a Noble Family, Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, Chinese Paladin, A Dream of Splendor,'' and '' The Tale of Rose.'' She became known to international audiences as the titular character in the Disney live-action film ''Mulan''.

Early life

Liu was born on August 25, 1987 in Tongji Hospital in Wuhan, Hubei as An Feng (). She is an only child. Her father is An Shaokang (), who served as a first secretary of the Education Office of the Chinese Embassy in France and director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Paris VII. Her mother is Liu Xiaoli (), 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" (). Her godfather is Chen Jinfei (), 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" (). 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 eponymous novel. 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. Liu's role as Wang Yuyan earned her the nickname of "Fairy Sister" in China, as the character is nicknamed in the show.

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.

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 would star in the upcoming fantasy mystery television series, '' The Love of Hypnosis''. This marked 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).

Music

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'' 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

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