Liu Jianye started his football career with Shenyang Ginde in the 2005 league season where he immediately made an impact within the club after making his debut on 30 April 2005 in a 1-0 win against Chongqing Lifan.

[2] Throughout the season, he played in 19 league games and scored his first goal against Shanghai Shenhua in a 6-1 loss.

[4] Despite being relegated with Changsha, Liu established himself within the China national team and was quickly transferred to fellow Chinese Super League side Jiangsu Sainty in December 2010 for an undisclosed fee.

On 25 February 2019, Liu was loaned to League One side Guangdong South China Tiger for the 2019 season.

Liu made his debut for the China national team on 18 July 2009 in a 3-1 win against Palestine.