[2] One of the leading actresses in China in the 1980s,[3][4] she is known for her roles in the films The Little Flower (1979), Reign Behind a Curtain (1983), The Burning of Imperial Palace (1983), Hibiscus Town (1986) and in the TV series Wu Zetian (1995).
In her early days Liu worked as a farm labourer, a propagandist for the People's Liberation Army and then a stage actor for the Chengdu Military Drama Group.
[3][5] Liu rose to national fame in a series of Chinese films such as The Great Wall of the South China Sea (1976),[3] The Little Flower (1979), and What a Family (1979).
[6] Her star power reached new heights when she portrayed the ruthless Qing dynasty Empress Dowager Cixi in Chinese-Hong Kong co-produced epics The Burning of the Imperial Palace (1983) and Reign Behind the Curtain (1984), directed by Li Han-hsiang.
Liu later reprised the role of the Empress Dowager Cixi in two unrelated films, including Li Lianying: The Imperial Eunuch (1991).