Liu Yifei born An Feng on August 25, 1987, also known as Crystal Liu, is a Chinese-born, 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 played Mulan in The Walt Disney Company's live-action film Mulan. Liu was born in Tongji Hospital in Wuhan, Hubei. She is an only child. Her father is An Shaokang, a 1st Secretary in the Chinese Embassy in France and a French language university professor, while her mother is Liu Xiaoli, 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" and began modelling, along with training in singing, dancing and playing the piano. 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, after spending the minimum 5 years of time to gain the U.S. citizenship, she quickly returned to China to pursue an acting career and changed her name to "Liu Yifei". Several weeks after returning to China, Liu was accepted into the Performance Institute of Beijing Film Academy at the age of 15, and graduated in 2006. 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. In November 2017, Liu was cast as Mulan in the live-action adaptation of the 1998 Disney animated film, which was originally scheduled to be released in 2020.

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