Liu Yifei

Liu Yifei (Chinese: 刘亦菲; pinyin: Liú Yìfēi, born An Feng August 25, 1987), also known as Crystal Liu, is a Chinese-American actress, singer, and model. She is widely known as Fairy Sister in the entertainment industry. She was named as one of the New Four Dan actresses of China in 2009. She will play the lead as Mulan in The Walt Disney Company's live-action film Mulan.

Early life

Liu was born in Tongji Hospital in Wuhan, Hubei and her birth name was "An Feng". 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 name to "Liu Ximeizi" (刘茜美子) 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.

When she was 10 years old, Liu and her mother moved to New York City, where she attended Louis Pasteur Middle School 67. She lived in Queens before returning to China in 2002 to pursue an acting career and changed her name to "Liu Yifei" (刘亦菲). While living in the United States, she gained her United States citizenship. Several weeks later after returning to China, Liu was accepted into the Performance Institute of Beijing Film Academy at the age of 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 was in the period romance drama The Story of a Noble Family (2003), based on Zhang Henshui's novel of the same name. The series achieved the highest ratings on CCTV, and positive reviews from 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.

In 2006, Liu was chosen to portray Xiaolongnü in The Return of the Condor Heroes, based on Louis Cha's wuxia 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. 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 films

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) opposite Taiwanese singer-actor Wang Leehom.

In 2011, she starred in fantasy supernatural film A Chinese Ghost Story, adapted from Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio; as well as White Vengeance, a historical epic based on the well-known legend of Liu Bang and Xiang Yu of the Qin Dynasty. 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 her first major acting award in her 11-year career, the Best Actress award at the 5th 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. She then starred in the American-Chinese action film Outcast (2014) directed by Nick Powell, alongside Nicolas Cage and Hayden Christensen.

Liu starred in another Chinese-South Korean co-production, The Third Way of Love (2015), a romance melodrama co-starring Song Seung-heon. 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. The film was awarded first prize under the Special Chinese Film category at the 40th Montreal World Film Festival, and Liu was nominated as Best Actress. She then starred alongside Kris Wu in the youth romance film So Young 2: Never Gone.

In 2017, Liu starred alongside Yang Yang 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 is set to be released in 2020.

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.

Personal life

Liu started dating Song Seung-heon in 2015. They met in 2013 while filming The Third Way of Love. In January 2018, Song's agency confirmed breakup reports by stating that both of them had been very busy and they naturally grew apart.

Controversy

In August 2019, Liu reshared an image posted by Chinese newspaper People's Daily. The image included a quote from Chinese reporter Fu Guohao who worked for the Global Times and was subsequently assaulted by protesters during the 2019 Hong Kong anti-extradition bill 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. The hashtag, #BoycottMulan, has since 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."

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, 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 an ending theme for the anime series Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z by TV Tokyo.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Soundtracks

Awards and nominations

Competitive feature film festivals main competition unit

Other film awards

Forbes China Celebrity 100