| Liu Yifei | |
|---|---|
| Chinese name | 劉亦菲 (Traditional) |
| Chinese name | 刘亦菲 (Simplified) |
| Pinyin | Líu Yìfēi (Mandarin) |
| Jyutping | Lau4 Jik6-fei1 (Cantonese) |
| Birth name | An Feng (安風) |
| Born | August 25, 1987 Wuhan, Hubei, China |
| Other name(s) | Liu Ximeizi (劉茜美子), Crystal Liu |
| Occupation | Actress, singer |
| Genre(s) | C-pop, J-pop |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, Piano |
| Label(s) | Sony BMG (2005–present) Sony Music (2005–present) |
| Years active | 2002 – present |
Liu Yifei (born August 25, 1987) is a Chinese actress and singer. Her legal name is Liu Ximeizi. The "茜" (Xi) is from the German film Sissi (Chinese translation 茜茜公主—hence the pronunciation of xi not qian; her mother calls her Xixi).[1]
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Born in Tongji Hospital in Hubei, she was originally named An Feng.[2] She is the only child of An Shaokang (安少康), a 1st Secretary in the Chinese Embassy in France and French language university professor, and Liu Xiaoli (刘晓莉), a dancer and a stage performer. Her parents divorced when she was 7 years old and she was raised solely by her mother. That same year, she changed her name to Liu Ximeizi and began modelling, along with training in singing, dancing and playing the piano. She is very close to Chen Jinfei (陈金飞), her godfather.[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] Returning to China in 2002 to pursue an acting career, she began to be known as Liu Yifei (刘亦菲). Several weeks later, Liu was accepted into the Performance Institute of Beijing Film Academy at the age of 15, where she graduated from in 2006.
Immediately following her admittance into Beijing Film Academy, Liu received offers to star in various television drama serials. Her first role on television was in The Story of a Noble Family. Shortly after, she was chosen to play the role of Wang Yuyan in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, an adaptation of Louis Cha's novel of the same title. Initially, Liu Tao was selected for the role of Wang Yuyan but it went to Liu Yifei eventually and Liu Tao was cast as A'zhu instead.
In 2005, Liu starred as Zhao Ling'er in Chinese Paladin, an adaptation of the action RPG The Legend of Sword and Fairy. The following year, she starred in The Return of the Condor Heroes, a television series adapted from Louis Cha's novel of the same title. After intense speculation on who would play Xiaolongnü, the role was finally offered to her. She was backed by Cha, who felt that she had all the necessary qualities to play the role of the young and innocent female protagonist.[6] Although the drama serials she has acted in were well-received, the films she starred in did poorly in terms of box office earnings with the exception of The Forbidden Kingdom.
Liu appeared in Jimmy Lin's music video of the song "I Am Still Waiting For You" (我还在等你) from his 2006 album Can't Stop Me (挡不住我). She has also previously co-starred with him in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils and The Love Winner. Liu also attended one of Lin's concerts as a guest, and in turn, he appeared at her birthday party in 2005. In conjunction with her acting career, Liu obtained a recording contract with Sony Music Entertainment Japan in August 2005. She has started studying singing and dancing in Japan since then.[7] She released her first single "Mayonaka no Door" with Sony Music on July 19, 2006. Her song "Mayonaka no Doa" as recorded by Sony Music appeared on television as one of the ending themes to Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z.
In 2008, she co-starred with Jet Li and Jackie Chan in The Forbidden Kingdom, in which she played Golden Sparrow, an orphan seeking revenge against her parents' killer. In 2010, she starred in Love In Disguise with Leehom Wang.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Love of May 五月之恋 |
Zhao Xuan | |
| 2004 | The Love Winner 戀愛大赢家 |
Jin Qiaoli | alternative title I Love You Love Me (喜歡你喜歡我) |
| 2006 | Abao De Gushi 阿寶的故事 |
Xixi | |
| 2008 | The Forbidden Kingdom 功夫之王 |
Golden Sparrow | |
| 2010 | Love In Disguise 戀愛通告 |
Song Xiaoqing | |
| 2011 | A Chinese Ghost Story 倩女幽魂 |
Nie Xiaoqian | |
| 2011 | White Vengeance 鴻門宴 |
Consort Yu | |
| TBA | Sida Mingbu 四大名捕 |
Wuqing |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | The Story of a Noble Family 金粉世家 |
Bai Xiuzhu | |
| 2003 | Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils 天龍八部 |
Wang Yuyan | |
| 2005 | Chinese Paladin 仙劍奇俠傳 |
Zhao Ling'er | |
| 2005 | Doukou Nianhua 豆蔻年華 |
Teacher Xiao Zhao | |
| 2006 | The Return of the Condor Heroes 神鵰俠侶 |
Xiaolongnü |
| Album information | Track list | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Title: Liu Yifei Label: Sony BMG Music Entertainment (Hong Kong) Limited Release date: 31 August 2006 |
|
Chinese album |
| Title: All My Words Label: Sony Music Entertainment Japan Release date: 6 September 2006 |
|
Japanese album |
| Album information | Track list | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Title: Mayonaka no door Label: Sony Music Entertainment Japan Release date: 19 July 2006 |
|
Japanese album |