Liu Xiaoqing
Acting • Born 1952-10-30
Biography
In her early days Liu worked as a farm labourer, then as a propagandist for the People's Liberation Army and later a stage actor for the Chengdu Military Drama Group. Liu acted in mainland Chinese films before she turned 30 — The Great Wall of the South China Sea (1976), What a Family (1979) and The Little Flower (1980). Her breakthrough role was the ruthless Qing Dynasty Empress Dowager Cixi in The Burning of the Imperial Palace (1983) and Reign Behind the Curtain (1984). Her portrayal of Cixi won her numerous awards in Chinese film festivals and she later reprised the role in two unrelated films, including Li Lianying: The Imperial Eunuch (1991). She won Best Actress at the Hundred Flowers Award for her role as Hua Jinzhi in The Savage Land, filmed in 1981 but not released until 1987, and again for her role in Hibiscus Town (1986). She holds a record for having won the most number of awards in the actress categories of the Hundred Flowers Award, with three Best Actress and one Best Supporting Actress. Liu left the entertainment industry in the 1990s to focus on business, but later returned to acting in the mid 2000s. One of her latest films was Chunhua (also titled Plastic Flower, released in 2004), in which she played the titular role, Chunhua. She performed in a stage play, The Last Night of Tapan Chin, in China and Taiwan from 2005 to 2008. Liu published a short autobiography I Did It My Way in 1983. She became one of the richest people in China, appearing at 45 on Forbes' list of the 50 richest Chinese businessmen and businesswomen in 1999. She promoted her success by publishing a book titled From A Movie Star to A Billionaire. She was arrested for tax evasion in connection with her company, Beijing Xiaoqing Culture and Arts Company Ltd., in 2002, was fined 7.1 million yuan, and imprisoned for a year. In 2012 Liu Xiaoqing played Sai Jinhua in a performance of the play The Beauty.
Filmography
73 credits
Xu Mao he ta de nü er men
Movie • 1981
Qi Gu Niang
Fantasy Magician 2
Movie • 2023
春歌
Movie • 1978
Legendary Amazons
Movie • 2011
6th Lady Yang / Princess Chai
Hong Kong People in Shenzhen
Movie • 1985
Qian wang
Movie • 1981
Ice Sniper 2
Movie • 2023
Dan Niang
Air Strike
Movie • 2018
Madam Zheng
The Monkey King 3D: Uproar in Heaven
Movie • 2012
王母娘娘
The Burning of the Imperial Palace
Movie • 1983
慈禧太后
The Empress Dowager
Movie • 1989
Empress Dowager Cixi
Li Lianying, the Imperial Eunuch
Movie • 1991
Empress Ci Xi
心灵深处
Movie • 1982
欧阳兰
Plastic Flowers
Movie • 2004
The Imperial Cannon Team
Movie • 1987
冯玉舒
Oh! What a Family
Movie • 1979
张岚
A Woman For Two
Movie • 1988
春桃
Night Rain and Autumn Lantern Hear Strange Stories
Movie • 2024
Lan Ni
Reign Behind a Curtain
Movie • 1983
Empress Dowager Cixi
同志，感谢你
Movie • 1977
Hun Li
Movie • 1979
Mojin: The Lost Legend
Movie • 2015
Sister Hong
For a Few Bullets
Movie • 2016
Jin Sanniang
Mysterious Buddha
Movie • 1980
梦婕
Hibiscus Town
Movie • 1987
Hu Yuyin
The Little Flower
Movie • 1979
何翠姑
Bei guo hong dou
Movie • 1984
The Eight Hundred
Movie • 2020
Sister Rong
A Dream of Red Mansions
Movie • 1989
Wang Xifeng
The Savage Land
Movie • 1981
Jin Zi
The Great Wall of the South-China Sea
Movie • 1976
红楼梦第一部：宝黛相会（上）
Movie • 1989
王熙凤
Blooming All the Way
Movie • 2025
37
Movie • 2012
蒙古老奶奶红婆婆
红楼梦第一部：宝黛相会
Movie • 1989
王熙凤
红楼梦第二部：黛玉葬花
Movie • 1989
王熙凤
红楼梦第三部：凤姐泼醋
Movie • 1989
王熙凤
红楼梦第四部：二尤惨死
Movie • 1989
王熙凤
红楼梦第五部：晴雯夭亡
Movie • 1989
王熙凤
红楼梦第六部：宝玉化石
Movie • 1989
王熙凤
The Prelude of Lotus Lantern
TV • 2009
Wang Mu
Empress Wu Cheh Tien
TV • 1995
武则天
281封信
TV • 2005
风华绝代
TV • 1992
Kuang Chunni
Crossroad Bistro
TV • 2021
Bai Jinghui
The Legend of Wu Zetian
TV • 2011
武则天（中年）
Lotus Lantern
TV • 2005
王母
Justice Pao
TV • 1995
The Prisoner of Beauty
TV • 2025
Madame Xu
我的兄弟姐妹
TV • 2004
Ai Lian
阿有正传
TV • 2005
珍格格
Hero Yongle
TV • 2005
Jin Niang
徐悲鸿
TV • 2013
蒋碧微
长河东流
TV • 2008
庄皇太后
Trump Card
TV • 2016
Heroes of Sui and Tang Dynasties
TV • 2012
Lady Xiao, Empress Min of Sui
Wang Zhaojun
TV • 2007
管婕妤
Rock & Roast
TV • 2017
The King of Comedy
TV • 2016
The Blooming Journey
TV • 2025
Self
女人何苦为难女人
TV • 2008
中国好男儿
TV • 2014
刘晓庆
I Have a Dream
TV • 2015
Ye Chun'er
红玫瑰黑玫瑰
TV • 2010
养女
TV • 2012
The Shadow of Empress Wu
TV • 2007
武则天
凝香劫
TV • 2010
春蚕织梦
TV • 2007
萌宝助攻：五十岁婚宠
TV • 2025
Hui Niang Wan Xin
TV • 2006
吴太太
最佳女主角
TV • 2013
Roast
TV • 2026
今夜喜友秀
TV • 2026