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Liu Yifei facts for kids

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Liu Yifei
Liu looking forward
Liu in 2017
Born
An Feng

(1987-08-25) August 25, 1987 (age 37)
Other names Crystal Liu
Citizenship
  • China (before 2002)
  • United States (after 2002)
Alma mater Beijing Film Academy
Occupation Actress
Years active 2002–present
Liu Yifei
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin Liú Yìfēi
IPA [li̯ǒu̯ î.féi̯]
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutping Lau4 Jik6-fei1

Liu Yifei (Chinese: 刘亦菲; born August 25, 1987) is a famous actress from China who also holds American citizenship. She is known for her roles in popular Chinese TV shows like The Story of a Noble Family, Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, and Chinese Paladin. Many people around the world also know her as Mulan from the Disney live-action movie Mulan. She has been listed many times on the Forbes China Celebrity 100 list, which shows how popular she is.

Early Life and Education

Liu Yifei was born on August 25, 1987, in Wuhan, China. Her birth name was An Feng. She is an only child. Her father, An Shaokang, worked for the Chinese Embassy in France. Her mother, Liu Xiaoli, was a dancer.

When Liu was 10 years old, her parents divorced. She was then raised by her mother. At that time, she took her mother's last name and changed her name to "Liu Ximeizi."

In 1997, Liu and her mother moved to the United States. They lived in Queens, New York City. She went to Louis Pasteur Middle School 67 there. In 2002, she came back to China to start her acting career. She then began using the stage name "Liu Yifei." Just a few weeks after returning, at age 15, she was accepted into the Performance Institute of Beijing Film Academy. She graduated from there in 2006.

Acting Career Highlights

Rising Popularity in TV Shows (2003–2006)

Right after joining the Beijing Film Academy, Liu Yifei received offers to act in TV shows. Her first TV role was in 2003 in the drama The Story of a Noble Family. This show was very popular in China.

In the same year, she was chosen to play Wang Yuyan in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils. This role earned her the nickname "Fairy Sister" in China.

In 2005, Liu starred in Chinese Paladin. This fantasy action drama was based on a popular video game. The show became a huge hit and made her even more famous in China. After this, she was chosen as the "Golden Eagle Goddess" at a big TV art festival.

Moving to Film Roles (2008–2013)

After becoming a TV star, Liu Yifei started acting in movies. In 2007, she joined a Hollywood agency. She then got her first Hollywood movie role in The Forbidden Kingdom. She played Golden Sparrow, a character seeking revenge.

She also starred in romantic comedies like Love in Disguise (2010). In 2011, she appeared in the fantasy film A Chinese Ghost Story. She also played Wu Qing in the action film The Four and its sequels.

Liu won the Best Actress award at the fifth Macau International Movie Festival for her roles in the historical film The Assassins (2012).

International Movies and TV Comeback (2014–Present)

In 2014, Liu worked with Korean actor Rain in the romance film For Love or Money. She also starred in The Third Way of Love (2015). For her performance in this film, she won the Most Anticipated Actress award.

In 2016, Liu starred in the romance film Night Peacock, a movie made with both Chinese and French teams. She also appeared in the youth romance film So Young 2: Never Gone.

In 2017, Liu starred in the romantic fantasy film Once Upon a Time. She also acted in the historical film The Chinese Widow. In November 2017, Liu was chosen to play Mulan in the live-action Disney movie. This film was released in 2020.

In December 2017, it was announced that Liu would star in the TV series The Love of Hypnosis. This was her first TV show in 12 years. In 2022, she won the Best Actress Award at the 13th Macau International Television Festival for her role in the drama "Meng Hua Lu".

Music Career

Liu Yifei signed with Sony Music Entertainment Japan in 2005. She released her first Japanese song, "Mayonaka no Door," in July 2006. Her first album, Liu, came out the next month in many parts of Asia. It included different music styles like rap and soft rock.

In the same year, she also released a Japanese album. The song "Mayonaka no Door" from this album was used as an ending theme for the anime series Powerpuff Girls Z. In 2020, she sang the Mandarin and English versions of the song "Reflection" for the live-action Mulan movie.

Personal Life

Liu Yifei keeps her personal life private. Her only publicly known relationship was with South Korean actor Song Seung-heon. They worked together on the film The Third Way of Love. They started dating in 2015 but later broke up in early 2018.

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 Return of the Condor Heroes, TheThe 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
2024 The Tale of Rose 玫瑰故事 Huang Yi mei
TBA The Love of Hypnosis 南煙齋筆錄 Lu Mansheng Post-Production

Discography

Albums

Album information Track list Notes
Title: Liu
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 N/A theme song for Yili milk
2011 Lan Ruo's Lyrics 兰若词 N/A 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 also sung this song in English

Awards and Recognition

Liu Yifei has won several awards for her acting. She also frequently appears on the Forbes China Celebrity 100 list, showing her popularity.

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

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Liu Yifei para niños

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