''The Forbidden Kingdom'' DVD featuring Yifei Liu is now available for Pre-order at www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013FZUQK.
Please note that this blog www.yifei-liu.com does not earn anything from amazon. Feel free to check the URL.
The Google ads you see only goes towards the domain cost imposed by the registrar of www.yifei-liu.com. I've tried to make it as minimal and unobtrusive as possible.
Cheers
JC
The list was the result of the first primary market research done on the consolidated value and public image of over 800 Chinese celebrities in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
The market research is conduct by 'First For Celebrity News' (magazine) and CTR Market Research, the leading market research company in China.
Note that the research was conducted in May and was prematurely terminated on 12 May 2008, the date of Sichuan quake, an event which in its aftermath might have affected the standing of some of the public image of the celebrities on the list.
The findings of this market research ('the list') was used as one of the resources presented by Bao Xiaoqun, director of Strategic Development Dept, SMG in the first forum/seminar session in SIFF in discussion with:
Peter Loehr, General Manager of Creative Artists Agency (CAA) China
Patrick Frater, Asian Editor of Variety Magazine, USA
Teddy Jung Hoon-Tak CEO of Sidus iHQ from Korea (K-drama fans might recognized him as Jun Ji-hyun's agent)
Buddy Marini, General Manager of Avex Asia from Japan
Yifei is rank 66th in the (consolidated) public image ‘healthy/good’ Top 100.
The list is selected from consolidated scores of more than 800 celebrities from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Wan Mei
Sources: Sina Entertainment, Sohu and Chinese transcripts from 1st SIFForum Session, 15 June 2008
[Wan Mei comments relating to the fact that the research was terminated on 12 May 2008, the date of Sichuan quake - excerpt]
"I believe Yifei's position would have improved slightly by her actions in the aftermath of the earthquake
I think this is the best 'People's A-List' for Chinese celebrities at the moment. Despite some surprises in scoring, I think it is more indicative as a guide than the Forbes List of Celebrities for China which is heavily affected by a star's earning power."
Forbidden Kingdom Coming to Blu-ray
Posted June 18, 2008 08:35 AM by Josh
Lionsgate Home Entertainment has announced that they are bringing the Jet Li and Jackie Chan film 'Forbidden Kingdom' to Blu-ray on September 9th, day-and-date with the DVD release. No technical specs have been announced for the release at this time, which will come as a two-disc set.
Extras include:
Feature Commentary with Rob Minkoff and John Fusco
5 Featurettes
Blooper Reel
Deleted Scenes with Commentary by Rob Minkoff and John Fusco
Previsualization Featurette with Commentary by Rob Minkoff
Exclusive to the Blu-ray release will be a BonusView feature that will explore into the film's casting, locations and other filmmaking secrets with interviews by Director Rob Minkoff, Writer John Fusco, Producer Casey Silver, Jackie Chan, and Jet Li.
The MV was recorded at end of May and broadcast for the first time on June 12, 2008 – the one month anniversary of the earthquake.
Yifei is the fourth singer (second female singer) in sequence.
Note the Yifei appeared three times in the video, as indicated by the time bar in the screen-caps below:
[Click here for the full pic].
[Click here for the full pic].
[Click here for the full pic].
You can hear Yifei’s voice again near the end, when the song is repeated for the final time at time 05:37.
Download link: www.mediafire.com (Thanks to choongkop for uploading)
English Translation of the two lines sang by Yifei:
Through it we understood the emotions and love biding flesh and blood.
Even though we may experienced grief and hurt...
Here's a MP3 download of the live recording courtesy of www.liuyifei.cc
[Click here to download]
I have created a English lyrics LRC for the MP3:
Which allow you to the LRC use it with many MP3 players:
[Click here for the full pic/English lyrics LRC].
The lyrics is by my favourite Hong Kong lyricist Lam Jik (Albert Leung) and is actually the themesong for Olympics volunteers.
I am a Star
Music by Emil Chow
Lyrics by Lam Jik (Albert Leung)
English Translation by Wan Mei (LYF fan)
(Children)
There’s a dream, began by me, changing my sweat into a smile.
Endless sea and infinite Sky, I am the wind, blowing the flags of North, South, East and West.
(Liu Yifei)
Everyone is, useful as one another. Rally round and help arise spontaneously.
Forget yourself, be of spacious heart. I am a Star, that light up the sky.
There’s a dream, began by me, changing my sweat into a smile.
Endless sea and infinite Sky, I am the wind
blowing the flags of North, South, East and West.
Hey, ah, Hey, ah. My heart is like a bright glowing ember!
There’s a dream, began by me, changing my sweat into a smile.
Endless sea and infinite Sky, I am the wind,
blowing the flags of North, South, East and West.
Hey, ah, Hey, ah. Whom ever who take the effort, you are in our heart.
There’s a dream, began by me, let us sow the seeds together.
Endless sea and infinite Sky, I am the wind,
blowing the flags of North, South, East and West.
Hey, ah, Hey, ah. I have become the bow that fit the arrow.
Hey, ah, Hey, ah. I am the space in that infinite sky.
Hey, ah, Hey, ah. Let us complete the dreams of this world.
Hey, ah, Hey, ah. Let us have the same dream together.
Even though we met as strangers, no one is ordinary,
for all of us are heroes
Let all the glory, imprinted in our hearts.
Out of my heart, my radiant smile.
"These photos are from the Sina blog of Hanyue, an award-winning makeup artist for many Chinese stars. Apparently he is the make-up artist for Yifei during the Hunan Happy Camp TV show on 3rd June 2008. These photos of Yifei are use to showcase his work."
"Wan Mei's notes: The photos were taken in May 2008 at Beijing and released 26 May 2008. Yifei's appearance in 'The Noble Family' was referenced in relation to these historical 1920s architecture."
"FACES SPOTLIGHT | LIU YI FEI - Golden Girl, Good article from the Faces Magazine Malaysia
China’s new poster girl is young, beautiful and spunky. Relatively unknown outside her homeland, her turn in the highly anticipated kungfu flick, The Forbidden Kingdom, looks set to transform her into a bona fide star. Ladies and gentlemen, please bid a warm welcome to the lovely Liu Yi Fei!
Liu Yi Fei will be celebrating her 21st birthday this year. Yet, unlike the average girl who receives a token set of keys to celebrate her independence, Yi Fei will be celebrating her starring role alongside legendary actors, Jackie Chan and Jet Li. What more could a girl ask for?
Yet Crystal Liu Yi Fei has always been leap years ahead of her peers. She began modelling at the age of eight, and her earliest pictures are still available today in Wuhan, her birthplace. Yi Fei also dabbled in singing, dancing and playing the piano. When she turned nine, her mother gave her a crystal for her birthday and it was so well-received, that she started calling herself ‘Crystal’ after that.
For a period of time, Yi Fei lived with her mother in the United States, but soon returned to pursue an acting career. She applied to the prestigious Beijing Film Academy. There were an estimated 100,000 hopefuls who tried their luck, but only 500 were accepted. Yi Fei was one of them, and at the tender age of fourteen, was the youngest entrant the Academy had ever had.
The performance begins
Movie and television roles started literally raining down on the young girl once she made it into the school. Her first role was in the television serial The Story of A Noble Family. She was later chosen to take on the role of Wang Yuyan in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, which was based on the book by acclaimed wuxia writer, Jinyong. This role served as the framework for her fame in China.
Yi Fei eventually starred in her first movie, Love of May. The movie did not do well in the box office, but Yi Fei bounced back with a starring role in the television drama, The Chinese Paladin. The drama was a hit and her fame grew. When she was finally chosen for the role of Xialongnu in the television production, The Return of the Condor Heroes, an adaptation of a beloved book by the prolific Jinyong, it was clear that this precocious young girl was headed for great things.
Such is her appeal that Yi Fei was also offered a recording contract with Sony Music Japan. She spent 6 months honing her talents in Japan and in 2005, released her debut single, Mayonaka No Doa. A Mandarin and Japanese album were later released in 2006.
A lucky break
Having been an actress throughout her formative years, Yi Fei decided to take a break of sorts and concentrate on furthering her studies in America. She also signed with the esteemed William Morris agency in the US, only the second Chinese actress (after Zhang Ziyi) to be affiliated with the organization.
It is at this point, in 2007, that Yi Fei’s fortunes suddenly vaulted well into another galaxy altogether. For the lucky lass was cast in the big-budget, much anticipated, action adventure flick, The Forbidden Kingdom, which boasts the historic, first-ever pairing of legends Jackie Chan and Jet Li! Yi Fei scored the leading female role of the character Golden Sparrow.
The Forbidden Kingdom, which also stars Michael Angarano (of Sky High) and Li BingBing and Colin Chou, tells the story of a kungfu-obsessed American teenager, Jason, who finds himself transported back to ancient China. There, he discovers he must free the fabled warrior Monkey King who is being held captive by the despicable Jade Warlord. Along the way, Jason is joined by wise kungfu master Lu Yan (Jackie Chan) and a merry collection of misfits, including Silent Monk (Jet Li) and the orphaned Golden Sparrow (Liu Yi Fei).
The blockbuster also makes use of the choreographing skills of grandmaster Woo Ping and famed cinematographer Peter Pau. Directed by Rob Minkoff (of Stuart Little), and filmed in various parts of China, the movie is already generating buzz, as rabid kungfu fans hotly discuss the plotline and story, even before its release date in April 2008.
In this candid interview, the effervescent Yi Fei opens up about what it is like to be in a starring role in The Forbidden Kingdom.
1. What attracted you to this film?
First of all, I think this is a great story. It is based on a foreigner’s point of view of Chinese legends and martial arts. I think it is a very special, fun, interesting and attractive story. Especially because there is Jackie and Jet, and it is the first time they are working together, so it’s really a historic moment on film, and a very good opportunity for me!
2. Tell us more about the character you play.
My character’s name is Golden Sparrow. She is very strong and has a very different personality because she is the female lead and she is the only heroine in the film. She also has to constantly be around the other three male leads – Jackie, Jet and Michael, so her personality cannot be weak. She is forced to be a very tough person.
Additionally, in another dimension altogether, my character is an orphan who only cares about revenge. So this gives her more depth and has also given me a lot of room to play with. Golden Sparrow has her own story, her own romance and her own destiny. I am so glad and grateful that I have been given the role of the most important female character in the film.
3. Tell us more about the moment you share with Michael Angarano in the film. How did you prepare for it?
The kissing scene is my first kiss in a movie. It’s a very sad scene because when we discussed it with Rob (the director), he felt that it should be more poignant than just pure romance as it is the first and only kiss the two characters share. It is in fact the last moment they are together. I was very sad and touched by the scene. I think Michael and I did a good job. As it was at the beginning of the filming, it was just after we came back from Wuyi Mountain and the very first scene we had to do. It was very hard as we didn’t know each other very well, yet we had to really get into character and do an emotional scene.
4. This is your first action film, how did you find the filming process?
For anyone’s first action movie, it is a very good opportunity to have Yuen Woo Ping as the choreographer. I like all his films, Kill Bill, The Matrix, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. So working with him, and Jackie and Jet gave me a lot of space to improve myself. My mum was a dancer so I have learnt dancing from young but it is rather different from martial arts. To be a real warrior you really have to have the power to fight, not just pose. That’s why I went to the gym every morning before the shoot because you have to be physically strong as well. You have to really be in character. In this area, Jackie and Jet taught me a lot, about the fighting, the tempo of the fighting. It is not just putting on the wires and flying around. I think I have learned so many things and I had a lot of pressure, because all the other actors that worked with Yuen Woo Ping were all professionals whereas I am new to the big-budget action movie scene.
5. Did you have to work hard or were the action sequences designed by Yuen Woo Ping a piece of cake?
Before the shooting, we had two weeks of horse training, martial arts training and pipa training (a Chinese instrument where I used the tuning pick as my weapon, sort of like a dart). Honestly, the two weeks of training were not long enough for me! For actors, the longer they prepare, the better they get. Overall, I feel that I have learnt so much from the directors and Yuen Woo Ping’s stunt team.
6. Tell us about a memorable fighting scene that you had with any of the other characters.
I like the very first scene for Golden Sparrow in the movie. I wear a cloak. Rob says he didn’t want the audience to know if she was a boy or a girl and if she was bad or good, so the first thing she does is to use a dart to kill two Jade Warriors and then does a back flip and kicks the soldiers. So it was a really cool, fantastic moment and it was one of my favourite scenes.
7. You had to simulate climbing Five Element Mountain with Jet Li. How was that experience?
That scene evokes the most terrible memories for me. That day was the hottest day filming in Hengdian and Jet and I had to climb the mountain set and we had to climb it many, many times as Yuen Woo Ping wanted us to look more authentic, like we were really climbing a mountain. So we had to use actual strength to grab at the mountain surface which is really rough, and we had to use all our power to climb to make it look more believable, even though we were on wires. After the shoot, Jet hurt his hand really badly, and I did as well. We were bleeding. But the scene is really very interesting, as you will see Jet and I climbing amidst various shooting angles.
8. Which was the most memorable scene for you?
There are so many things in my head, which are memorable. For me, I think it is a scene in Xianju. It is the scene where I talk about my family, my background. It was very emotional, and it is the most important scene for Golden Sparrow. She has to try to expose her emotions. So I really wanted everyone to be satisfied with my performance. They did a close-up of my eyes so Peter Pau and everyone was silent waiting for my tears. That’s the hardest moment for an actress, because everyone is waiting and you want your emotions to get there as fast as they can. That day, I think, we shot three or four takes and every take was really good so I like that scene the most.
9. Which was the most difficult aspect of making this film? What challenges did you face?
I think it’s that the people who are working around me, they are so professional and they are the best at what they do - Peter, Yuen Woo Ping, Rob. So you don’t want to disappoint them. You want to make them think you can actually do better. So I was always pushing myself really hard to reach their goals, to really give them the best performance that I could. That was definitely the most challenging thing for me.
10. What have you learnt from Jackie and Jet through acting with them in this film?
I am very lucky as my role is with Jackie and Jet all the time. Everyday on set, we were always happy and laughing. Yet, they are two different people. Jackie is always full of energy and he cares about everyone around him. So I learnt from Jackie that it is not enough just to be successful as an actress, you have to be a good person as well. He is a very smart man. When he shoots, I sit and watch him. He knows every single little technique that the director needs for the actions scenes.
Jet, on the other hand, can be very funny sometimes, he has a great sense of humour, and he was always helping me with the riding scenes. There was one scene in Wuyi, where Jet and I had to gallop very fast and he was worried about me. He kept turning around to make sure that I was alright, because he felt that the horse’s speed might have been too fast, and he was concerned. I really think he is a good man, who makes me feel safe and is a really good master."
Original article link and credits: Faces Magazine Malaysia
Just a side note that according to Yifei's interview in the Faces magazine that the mountain set shown in the behind the scenes clip would have been her simulate climbing Five Element Mountain with Jet Li. Both Jet Li and Yifei's hands are injured and bleeding.
Crystal Liu Yifei:
"... we had to climb it many, many times as Yuen Woo Ping wanted us to look more authentic, like we were really climbing a mountain. So we had to use actual strength to grab at the mountain surface which is really rough, and we had to use all our power to climb to make it look more believable, even though we were on wires. After the shoot, Jet hurt his hand really badly, and I did as well. We were bleeding. But the scene is really very interesting, as you will see Jet and I climbing amidst various shooting angles."
crystal-yifei.net/index.php?showtopic=3689
Unfortunately the scene was cut in the final version"
English Translation of Lyrics Copyright by Wan Mei of Liu Yifei English forums
The lyrics is by my favourite Hong Kong lyricist Lam Jik (Albert Leung) and is actually the themesong for Olympics volunteers.
I am a Star
Music by Emil Chow
Lyrics by Lam Jik (Albert Leung)
English Translation by Wan Mei (LYF fan)
(Children)
There’s a dream, began by me, changing my sweat into a smile.
Endless sea and infinite Sky, I am the wind, blowing the flags of North, South, East and West.
(Liu Yifei)
Everyone is, useful as one another. Rally round and help arise spontaneously.
Forget yourself, be of spacious heart. I am a Star, that light up the sky.
There’s a dream, began by me, changing my sweat into a smile.
Endless sea and infinite Sky, I am the wind
blowing the flags of North, South, East and West.
Hey, ah, Hey, ah. My heart is like a bright glowing ember!
There’s a dream, began by me, changing my sweat into a smile.
Endless sea and infinite Sky, I am the wind,
blowing the flags of North, South, East and West.
Hey, ah, Hey, ah. Whom ever who take the effort, you are in our heart.
There’s a dream, began by me, let us sow the seeds together.
Endless sea and infinite Sky, I am the wind,
blowing the flags of North, South, East and West.
Hey, ah, Hey, ah. Let me be the bow that fit the arrow.
Hey, ah, Hey, ah. I am the space in that infinite sky.
Hey, ah, Hey, ah. Let us complete the dreams of this world.
Hey, ah, Hey, ah. Let us have the same dream together.
Even though we met as strangers, no one is ordinary,
for all of us are heroes
Let all the glory, imprinted in our hearts.
Out of my heart, my radiant smile.
[JUNE 5, 2008]
Eighty nine children from the Sichuan quake area are bathed in warm sunshine in Sanya. At the resort in south China's Hainan province they were warmed not only by the Sun but by the reception of the people who came out to see them.
An evening show was held for the children from the disaster zone. Children from fifteen minorities held hands with their guests to sing "Let's Swing our Oars." It's been a popular tune among Chinese children over generations.
Also performing for the children were actress Weng Hong and Liu Yifei. Olympic gold medalist Gao Min, Yang Ling and the children's book writer Zheng Yuanjie were there to sent best wishes to the guests from the quake zone.
The show was only the beginning of the children's Hainan tour. Children from Hainan will accompany their Sichuan friends on a tour of the province. It's all intended to restore a little happiness to young lives that have experienced so much sadness.
Editor:Liu Fang
[08.06.02] Photos of Hainan TV event, Sunshine Action at Sanya, Yifei with Dong Xue, the girl who lost her parents
This was a live telecast event by Hainan TV at 8pm, 2008-06-02.
Apparently due to certain safety issues, the 89 children participants from Sichuan could only board a chartered flight on June 2 and arrived at Sanya. Many of the other celebrities including Andy Lau wouldn't arrive until June 3.
Among those from the entertainment industry, I noted that only actresses Crystal Liu Yifei and Yung Hung are in the first group to arrive at Sanya. By coincident, both are of Hubei ancestry and Yung Hung’s little girl is nicknamed ‘Crystal’ :)
Note that except for public events like this, the media is not allowed access to the children for most of the activities and private sessions (especially counseling) over the 15 days.
BTW, hostess Zhao Yuying explained that the wrapped gift from Yifei contained the stationery she originally intended to send to Dong Xue. The organizer thought it would be more meaningful for Yifei to give it to Dong Xue personally on this night.
As we can see when they unwrapped the gift, the content was packed in a labeled postal parcel. So perhaps Yifei originally wanted to send it to Dong Xue by express or priority mail.
According to Sina Entertainment News, after coming down the stage Yifei help distributed gifts from two large boxes to every child in the disaster group.
This unmarked photo taken on 2008:06:02 21:19:53 show Yifei having some private time with Dong Xue.
One more from QQ
Photos credit: Tianya, QQ, Xinhuanet and Sina
News Source: Sina Entertainment News
Commentaries by Wan Mei
(For those who don't know the story of Dong Xue, please refer to The resilient girl who wish to sing at the beach I posted earlier.)
Yifei is such a wonderful and amazing person.
It's like heaven sent us an angel xD
She's generous too
She's my favorite chinese actress :D
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