Crystal Liu (born An Feng on August 25, 1987) is a Chinese-American actress, singer, and model better known by her stage name Liu Yifei (Chinese: ; pinyin: Li Yfi). She has appeared on Forbes' China Celebrity 100 list several times and was named one of China's New Four Dan actresses in 2009. In China, she is widely known as "Fairy Sister."
Liu rose to international prominence in 2020 as the titular character in the Disney live-action film Mulan. She was nominated for a Critics' Choice Super Award, a Kids' Choice Award, and a Saturn Award for her performance.
Liu was born as An Feng () in Tongji Hospital in Wuhan, Hubei. She is the only child in the family. Her father, An Shaokang (), is a 1st Secretary in the Chinese Embassy in France and a French language university professor from Beijing, and her mother, Liu Xiaoli (), is a Hubei dancer and stage performer. When she was ten years old, her parents divorced, and she was raised solely by her mother. The following year, she took her mother's surname and changed her name to "Liu Ximeizi" (). Chen Jinfei (), Chairman of Beijing Tongchan Investment Group, is her godfather.
Liu and her mother immigrated to the United States when she was ten years old. She grew up in Queens, New York, and attended Louis Pasteur Middle School 67. She returned to China in 2002 to pursue an acting career, adopting the stage name "Liu Yifei" (). Several weeks after returning to China, Liu was accepted into the Beijing Film Academy's Performance Institute at the age of 15 and graduated in 2006.
Career
2003–2006: Increasing popularity
Liu received offers to star in various television series almost immediately after being accepted into the Beijing Film Academy. In 2003, she made her first television appearance in the period romance drama The Story of a Noble Family (), based on Zhang Henshui's novel of the same name. The series received the highest ratings on CCTV as well as positive audience feedback. The following year, Zhang Jizhong cast her as Wang Yuyan in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, an adaptation of Louis Cha's wuxia novel of the same name. The series was broadcast in Taiwan and received a rating of 5.69, making it Taiwan's highest-rated Chinese drama. The media and fans dubbed Liu "Fairy Sister" for her portrayal of the lovely Wang Yuyan.
Liu appeared in Chinese Paladin, a fantasy action drama based on the role-playing game The Legend of Sword and Fairy, in 2005. The drama became a cult classic and cemented her popularity in China.
After the drama aired, Liu received critical acclaim for her performance and quickly rose in popularity. She was named the "Golden Eagle Goddess" at the 6th China Golden Eagle TV Art Festival the same year.
Transition to film from 2008 to 2013.
Liu moved to the big screen after achieving success on television. She joined the William Morris Agency (WMA) in 2007 and was soon cast in her first Hollywood production, The Forbidden Kingdom. She portrayed Golden Sparrow, an orphan out for vengeance on her parents' murderer. Following that, she appeared in the romantic comedy Love in Disguise (2010) alongside Taiwanese-American singer and actor Wang Leehom.
In 2011, she starred in A Chinese Ghost Story, a fantasy supernatural film based on Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio. She was cast as Wu Qing (Emotionless) in Gordon Chan's wuxia film The Four, which was based on Woon Swee Oan's novel series The Four Great Constables. She later played the same character in two more films in the series.
Liu won the Best Actress award at the fifth Macau International Film Festival for her roles in the historical film The Assassins as Lingju and Diaochan (2012).
2014–present: International collaborations and a return to television
For Love or Money, based on Hong Kong novelist Amy Cheung's 2006 novel of the same name, Liu collaborated with Korean actor-singer Rain in 2014. Though it did well at the box office, the film was panned for its plot and production.
Liu appeared in the film The Third Way of Love (2015). Her performance in the film earned her the title of Most Anticipated Actress at the 16th Chinese Film Media Awards. The same year, she was appointed as the first Chinese ambassador of Dior Prestige and Tissot's global ambassador.
I created a Xixi [Liu Yifei] film festival for myself after witnessing her works' shock moments in her performance. That convinced me that she would be ideal for the lead role in "The Chinese Widow." When you have two actors like Xixi and Emile, you know they are smart, clever, and talented...
—Bille August, Academy Award-winning director
In 2016, Liu starred in the Chinese-French co-production Night Peacock, directed by Dai Sijie. She later appeared in the teen romance film So Young 2: Never Gone.
In 2017, Liu appeared in the romantic fantasy film Once Upon a Time, directed by Anthony LaMolinara and starring Zhao Xiaoding. She also appeared in Bille August's historical drama The Chinese Widow. The film was the opening film at the Shanghai International Film Festival, and Liu was nominated for Best Actress. Liu reunited with White Vengeance co-star Feng Shaofeng in the fantasy comedy film Hanson and the Beast the following year.
Liu was cast as Mulan in the live-action adaptation of the 1998 Disney animated film Mulan, which was released to mixed reviews in 2020.
Liu was cast in the upcoming fantasy mystery television series The Love of Hypnosis in December 2017. This is her first television appearance in 12 years.
Controversy
In August 2019, Liu reshared an image posted by the Chinese newspaper People's Daily, an official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party's Central Committee. The image included a quote from Fu Guohao, a Chinese reporter who worked for People's Daily-owned tabloid Global Times and was later assaulted by protesters after stating during the 2019-20 Hong Kong protests: "I am in favor of Hong Kong police. You can now defeat me. It's a disgrace for Hong Kong." This sparked international outrage, with Liu accused of condoning police brutality. Following this, the hashtag #BoycottMulan began trending in support of a film boycott. In response to the backlash, Liu did not attend the 2019 D23 Expo, which provided fans with an exclusive first look at Mulan. In February 2020, when asked about the controversy, Liu stated, "I think it's just a very sensitive situation."
During an interview with Variety magazine at Mulan's March 10, 2020 premiere, Liu described herself as "Asian" rather than "Chinese," which enraged some Chinese social media netizens, who threatened to boycott the film and accused her of forgetting her roots, as well as questioning why a non-Chinese national was playing the "legendary Chinese icon."
Liu severed ties with clothing brand Adidas in March 2021 over its support for the Better Cotton Initiative, a group funded by the US government through USAID, after the trade body pulled out of Xinjiang, China, citing concerns about forced labor involving Uighur Muslims. The move was echoed by a number of Chinese celebrities as part of the Chinese government's larger campaign to pressure Western brands and consumers to continue purchasing cotton produced in the region.
A career in music
In 2005, Liu signed with Sony Music Entertainment Japan. On July 19, 2006, she released her first Japanese single, "Mayonaka no Door," with Sony Music. Her debut album, Liu Yifei, was released the following month in various parts of Asia, including mainland China, Hong Kong, and Southeast Asia, and featured a diverse musical repertoire that included rap and soft rock. Liu also released a Japanese album that year, with the single "Mayonaka no Door" being chosen as the ending theme for the anime series Demashita! TV Tokyo's Powerpuff Girls Z.
She sang the Mandarin and English versions of "Reflection" for the live-action Mulan in 2020.
| Year | English title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Love of May | Zhao Xuan |
| The Love Winner | Jin Qiaoli | |
| 2006 | Abao's Story | Xixi |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Album information | Track list | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Title: Liu Yifei Label: Sony BMG Music Entertainment (Hong Kong) Limited Release date: August 31, 2006 |
| Chinese album |
| Title: All My Words Label: Sony Music Entertainment Japan Release date: September 6, 2006 |
| Japanese album |
| Album information | Track list | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Title: Mayonaka no Door Label: Sony Music Entertainment Japan Release date: July 19, 2006 |
| Japanese album |
| 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 |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 40th Montreal World Film Festival | Best Actress | Night Peacock | Nominated |
| 2017 | 20th Shanghai International Film Festival | Best Actress | The Chinese Widow | Nominated |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2005 | 58th |
| 2006 | 51st |
| 2007 | 43rd |
| 2008 | 87th |
| 2009 | 43rd |
| 2010 | 66th |
| 2011 | 93rd |
| 2017 | 23rd |
| 2019 | 89th |
| 2020 | 30th |
| Body Measurements | 32-23-33 Inches |
| Height | 5 Feet 7 Inches (1.70 m) |
| Weight | 48 kg (105 lbs) |
| Waist | 23 Inches |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Shoe Size | 7.5 (US) |
| Dress Size | 4 (US) |
| Nickname | Liu Ximeizi (刘茜美子), Crystal Liu |
| Gender | Female |
| Age | 35 years old (in 2023) |
| Date of Birth | August 25, 1987 |
| Full Name | Yifei Liu |
| Profession | Actress, Singer, Model, Dancer |
| Nationality | American, Chinese |
| Birthplace | Wuhan, China |
| Religion | Buddhism |
| Zodiac Sign | Virgo |
School: Louis Pasteur Middle School
Profession: Actress, Singer, Model, Dancer
Debut:
Film: The Third Way of Love (2015)
Net Worth: USD $10 Million Approx
Father: An Shaokang
Mother: Liu Xiaoli
Sister: Crystal Liu Yifei
Marital Status: In a relationship
Currently dating:
Split
Hobbies: Not Known
Favorite Food: Chinese Food
Favorite Color: Blue
,-Biography,-Wiki,-Age,-Boyfriend-&-More-134.jpg "Surabhi-Samriddhi Mehra (Chinky Minky), Biography, Wiki, Age, Boyfriend & More")
