Liu Xiaoqing

Biography

Liu Xiaoqing was born on October 30, 1950, in Fuling, Sichuan (now part of Chongqing Municipality). After graduating from elementary school, she enrolled in the affiliated middle school of the Sichuan Conservatory of Music to study the yangqin. During her secondary school years, the Cultural Revolution took place, and her father, a former underground Communist Party member from eastern Sichuan with a landlord family background, was beaten by rebels and had his legs broken. In 1970, after graduating from secondary school, she was assigned to Xuanhan Farm in the Dazhu Special District. She then joined the army and became a propaganda troupe entertainer in the Dazhou Military Sub-District. After the propaganda troupe was disbanded, she was admitted to the Chengdu Military Drama Troupe.

In 1975, the August First Film Studio selected her to play the female lead in the remake of "Sea Eagle," but the film was never completed for unknown reasons, which was a major blow to her. She soon received an offer to film "The Great Wall of the South China Sea," which brought her initial fame. In 1979, she starred in "Little Flower" and "The Wedding," both of which received great acclaim. The contrast between her tough and gentle characters in the two films earned her praise from audiences and critics, and she ranked second and third respectively at the 3rd Hundred Flowers Awards. She also won the Best Supporting Actress award at the same ceremony for her role in the comedy "Look at This Family." In 1980, she was officially transferred to the Beijing Film Studio and became known together with Li Xiuming and Zhang Jinling as the "Three Golden Flowers" of the studio.

In 1983, Liu became the first female host of the CCTV New Year's Gala, and she hosted again in 1986. The 1980s were the peak of her acting career. She won both the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers awards for Best Actress for her role in Xie Jin's film "Furong Town," which reflected on the Cultural Revolution. Together with "The Savage Land" and "Spring Peach," she set a record of winning the Hundred Flowers Best Actress award for three consecutive years, a record that remains unbroken. She also played Wang Xifeng in the film adaptation of "Dream of the Red Chamber" produced by Beijing Film Studio. As China opened up, Liu became one of the first mainland Chinese actresses to collaborate with Hong Kong cinema. Her films "The Empress Dowager" and "The Burning of Yuanmingyuan," directed by Li Hanxiang, were highly successful, and her portrayal of Empress Dowager Cixi from youth to middle age became her signature role.

In 1990, Liu began venturing into business, and at her peak she owned twenty-six companies covering various fields, becoming "China's multi-millionaire." Forbes magazine listed her as the 45th richest person in China with an estimated fortune of 70 to 90 million dollars. After a five-year absence from acting, she made her television debut playing Empress Wu Zetian, portraying the character from age 16 to 82, which achieved high ratings.