Liu Shishi

Liu Shishi (born March 10, 1987 in Beijing, China), also known by her English name Cecilia Liu, is a popular Chinese actress and ballerina. She first gained recognition through her breakout role as Ruoxi in the Chinese time-travel drama Scarlet Heart, and has since gone on to undertake more notable roles in television dramas and films.

Known as one of the New Four Dan Actresses, Liu is one of the highest paid TV actress in mainland China.^[1]

Career

2005–2010

Having been trained in ballet at the Beijing Dance Academy, Liu Shishi made her acting debut in the television drama series The Moon and the Wind (2005) in a leading role. She then starred in The Young Warriors (2006) and The Fairies of Liaozhai (2007), receiving acclaim for her performances.

In 2007, Liu graduated from Beijing Dance Academy and was signed on by Tangren Media, successfully making her transition from a dancer to an actress. She then rose to fame for her role as Mu Nianci in The Legend of the Condor Heroes (2008).

Liu gained popularity after appearing in the popular wuxia-fantasy drama Chinese Paladin 3 (2009); her role as Long Kui in broke her previous typecasting as a "gentle, kind, and understanding maiden" and received positive reviews from critics and fans. She also started to gain recognition in Southeast Asia after the show was broadcast in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore.

The following year, Liu was cast in the drama A Weaver on the Horizon (2010), based on the life story of Huang Daopo. Originally cast in the role of the female protagonist Huang Qiao'er, Liu instead chose to portray the bratty princess Zhao Jiayi. Her portrayal of the character further boosted her acting acclaim, giving critics and audiences alike a taste of her versatility and growing competence in challenging roles.^[2]

2011–2012

The year 2011 saw Liu's further rise in popularity with two successful dramas. She played the thief Yan Sanniang with aplomb in period action drama The Vigilantes In Masks. She then played Ma'ertai Ruoxi in the critical and commercial time travel hit, Scarlet Heart, and made her singing debut for the soundtrack of the drama. The series not only captured the first place spot among TV show ratings, but also went on to amass large number of views on online platforms, and subsequently captured a loyal fanbase across Asia. It is regarded as Liu's most notable role to date, and she won many awards at local award-giving bodies for her performance.

Liu then focused her career on the big screen; she made her feature film debut in The Next Miracle, directed by Taiwanese filmmaker Zhuo Li,^[3] which saw a transition from her usual genre of period dramas. She also filmed two other movies, Sad Fairy Tale and A Moment of Love.

In August 2012, Liu took on the role of Taba Yu'er in Xuan-Yuan Sword: Scar of Sky, a television drama adaption of the popular role-playing game by developed by Taiwanese company Softstar Entertainment Inc. This not only marks her return to period dramas, but also reunited her with Chinese Paladin 3 co-stars Hu Ge and Tiffany Tang. Due to the cast's popularity, the drama achieved #1 spot in TV ratings and garnered a total of 2 billion views online, becoming the 9th drama in Hunan TV's broadcast history to achieve that feat. Liu's soaring popularity thanks to Scarlet Heart in 2011 coupled with Xuan-Yuan Sword: Scar of Sky in 2012 allowed her to become the "Golden Eagle Goddess" at the 9th China Golden Eagle TV Art Festival, beating out other popular stars for the honor.

Along with actresses Angelababy, Yang Mi and Ni Ni, Liu was chosen as the one of the four Fadan actresses.^[4]

2013–2014

In 2013, Liu starred in the suspense action comedy film Badges of Fury, alongside Jet Li. She then began filming for the wuxia film Brotherhood of Blades, which was released in August 2014. Both films were relatively successful at the box office.

Liu then returned for Scarlet Heart 2, the sequel to the 2011 hit drama Scarlet Heart, reprising her role as Zhang Xiao. The series premiered on 22 April 2014. In the same year, she starred in Chinese television series Sound of the Desert, based on the novel Ballad of the Desert written by Tong Hua. The drama aired in October 2014 and gained huge popularity.

She then attended the 19th Busan International Film Festival for the premiere of Five Minutes to Tomorrow, in which she plays a leading role. Liu also received the Asian Star Award at the film festival.

2015–2016

In order to broaden her acting range, Liu took on drama series of different genres. In 2015, she filmed her first republican drama The Battle At Dawn, playing a female agent; youth melodrama Precious Youth and If Love Like This, based on the novel written by Qian Xun Qian Xun.

In 2016, after a one-year gap, Liu returned to television, taking on the titular role of Tan Yunxian in The Imperial Doctress, a drama series based on the history of the famous female physician in China's Ming Dynasty. The drama series premiered on 13 February 2016 on both Dragon TV and Jiangsu TV, achieving an average ratings of 1.2 on both broadcasting stations and placing first in its ratings slot nationally. Liu's performance in the drama was highly praised, and she won the Most Influential Actress Award at 1st annual China Television Drama Quality Ceremony.

Following the success of The Imperial Doctress, Liu is currently one of the highest paid Chinese TV actresses.^[5]

In August 2016, she began filming crime suspense film Wanted Dangerous Man opposite Deng Chao and Ethan Juan.

In October 2016, Liu began filming for time-travelling period drama Lost Love in Times alongside William Chan.

Personal life

On 20 January 2015, Nicky Wu, her co-star in Scarlet Heart announced on his weibo that he and Liu had registered their marriage in Beijing.^[6]

Liu is known to be good friends with Hu Ge, Wallace Huo and Yuan Hong.

Filmography

Films

Television drama

Discography

Awards and Nominations

References

External links

• Liu Shishi at the Internet Movie Database
• Liu Shishi's Weibo (Chinese)