Who is Liu Yifei? A closer look at Disney's controversial Mulan

So how did Liu get the role? - She was chosen out of around 1,000 talented individuals across five continents, whom casting directors sifted through for a whole year. They were looking for an ethnically Chinese, English-speaking young woman with various skills. Mulan is apparently supposed to be 16 years old, and Liu almost passes, despite the fact that she's 32.

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She needed to have credible martial arts skills - This requirement was fortunate for her as she'd starred in films like 'The Forbidden Kingdom,' which was credit enough.

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Well-versed in wuxia - Wuxia is the genre of Chinese fiction surrounding the adventures of martial artists in ancient China, with which the tale of 'Mulan' shares some similarities.

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Well-versed in wuxia - Many of Liu's famous roles are of the wuxia genre, including the TV series 'Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils' and 'The Return of the Condor Heroes,' as well as films such as 'The Four.'

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She already had star quality - She had already become a popular actress in China, with training from the Beijing Film Academy and many roles to her name.

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Her English skills were also an advantage - The actress reportedly lived in Queens, New York, from the age of 10 to 14, and her fluency certainly helped her land the Disney role.

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Previous English roles - She showed off her English in 2008's 'The Forbidden Kingdom,' with Jackie Chan and Jet Li, as well as 2014's 'Outcast,' starring Nicolas Cage and Hayden Christensen.

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Multi-talented - Apart from being an actor, she's also a model and a singer. Her musical repertoire reportedly includes rap and soft rock, and she's also formally trained in piano.

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She sang the Japanese 'Powerpuff Girls' theme song - In 2006, she released a self-titled album and a Japanese-language album. Her single 'Mayonaka no Door' on the latter was selected as the theme song to Tokyo TV's 'Powerpuff Girls Z.'

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Unfortunately, she will not be singing in 'Mulan' - Liu has sung on tracks for other films, including 2017's 'Once Upon a Time,' but since the remake won't be a musical, we won't hear her singing voice.

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Like Mulan, she is often assessed for her beauty - Due to her ethereal beauty, Liu is often referred to as Fairy Sister (shenxian jiejie) by the Chinese entertainment industry.

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She knows what a strong female role model looks like - Liu was brought up by her mother, Liu Xiaoli, who was a dancer and a stage performer.

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Like Mulan, she keeps little creatures around - Liu and her mother reportedly work with a non-profit organization to find cats new homes, and at one point her Beijing apartment was home to around 30 cats.

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She's considered a Dan actress - "Dan" traditionally referred to male actors who played vibrant young women in Peking opera, but it's been adapted in modern times for actresses with the same talent. In the early 2000s, there were four young actresses making it big in China called the Four Dan Actresses...

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She's considered a Dan actress - Now, Liu is part of the New Four Dan Actresses, which somewhat parallels the tale of Hua Mulan, who disguised herself as a man to join the Imperial Army in China.

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She's not doing it for the money - Her godfather, Chen Jinfei, is considered by Forbes as one of China's richest 500 people. He is also the Chairman of Beijing Tongchan Investment Group and has an estimated net worth of US$62 million, so it's not like she has no backup plans.

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She had already received backlash for Mulan - When Liu was first announced as Mulan, the reaction was divided. Jin Yong, the author of some of the wuxia novels whose film adaptations starred Liu, criticized her lack of facial expressions.

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Not exactly internet famous - On Douban, essentially China's version of IMDb, users nominated Liu as the country's worst actress for three different years.

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Who is Liu Yifei? A closer look at Disney's controversial Mulan

'Mulan' arrives on Disney+

04/09/20 | StarsInsider

CELEBRITY Films

Disney's live-action take on 'Mulan' has generated quite the buzz—good and bad. While some had qualms about the lack of music and Mushu, others praised it for its artistry, and many more bickered over its historical and cultural accuracy. Overall, however, people were still generally excited to see it.

That is, until #BoycottMulan shot up the Twitter trends and Chinese-American actress Liu Yifei, who plays the starring role, became the target for a wave of worldwide criticism.

Now the film can be rented on Disney+ and you can make your own decisions about the movie.
Intrigued? Well then, click through this gallery to see the events leading up to Liu Yifei's role as Mulan.