Recently, veteran Chinese actress Liu Xiaoqing announced on social media that she'll star in a new short drama called Lucky Star From Heaven, a sequel of sorts to Adorable Baby Matchmaker: Marriage at 50. The storyline? Well, let's just say it's less important than the casting—because the internet immediately lit up at the fact that 74-year-old Liu is once again taking the lead, possibly even playing a youthful role.
Reactions were split. Some mocked, others defended, and many simply shrugged and commented:
"Let Granny act if she wants to!"
"If Liu Xiaoqing wants to play a teenage girl, who are we to stop her?"
It turns out, more and more young people are rallying behind her, not just for her boldness, but for the life philosophy she embodies.
From Teenage Cult Leader to Real-Life Wonder Woman
Liu Xiaoqing has long been a lightning rod for controversy. Years ago, when she played a teenager despite being over 60, netizens jokingly crowned her the leader of the so-called "Teenage Girl Cult." But jokes aside, admiration for her physical stamina and unshakable energy began to grow. She keeps up a routine of cold showers and long-distance running, easily outperforming people half her age.
In recent interviews and on the variety show Blossoms On The Road, Liu broke the mold of aging gracefully, instead declaring:
"That's someone else's standard. I live without limits."
She's not afraid to shake things up, even suggesting that women should enjoy the same freedoms as men when it comes to relationships. While such opinions remain divisive, her raw honesty and refusal to conform have earned her a cult-like following among young people frustrated by social expectations and burnout.
A Life Beyond Limits
Born in 1950 in Fuling, Chongqing, Liu Xiaoqing rose to stardom in the 1980s with hits like Hibiscus Town and Wu Zetian. She wasn't just an actress—she was a trailblazer, becoming the first Chinese actress to write an autobiography, produce her own films, and even appear as a female host on CCTV's Spring Festival Gala.
In the 1990s, she expanded into real estate and media, becoming China's first female star to make it onto the Forbes rich list.
Then came the fall. In 2002, a tax scandal sent her to prison for 422 days. But instead of breaking her, that time became a boot camp of sorts: cold showers, 8,000 steps daily, English lessons, and even directing skits for fellow inmates. When she re-emerged, it was back to square one—bit parts, TV cameos, and gradually, a return to mainstream success with dramas like Heroes of Sui and Tang Dynasties and Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe.
Breaking Rules, Winning Hearts
Liu Xiaoqing never stopped playing unconventional roles—sometimes to great ridicule. In Heroes of Sui and Tang, she played a lovestruck character opposite a male lead 21 years her junior. Netizens roasted her relentlessly, but she ignored the noise.
In 2015, rumors surfaced that she was dating a photographer 20 years younger than her. The twist? Public opinion had shifted. Instead of mockery, many netizens nodded in quiet respect. The message she sends—"I like it, I want it, so I'll do it"—is one of self-determined power, something rare and precious in a society that still pressures women to play by outdated rules.
As feminism continues to evolve in China, Liu has become a kind of avatar for a shame-free, unapologetic female lifestyle, especially appealing to young women who feel boxed in by social norms.
Liu Xiaoqing is an extreme case—a celebrity with unique resources and unshakable confidence. Her life is not a blueprint most can follow. But in a world where many women still suffer under systemic misogyny, she represents a dream of resistance, freedom, and personal reinvention.
Author Laura Bates wrote in The Hidden Corner that over one-third of women globally experience physical or sexual violence. These numbers aren't abstract—they're lived realities for millions. As misogynistic content quietly spreads through male-dominated online spaces, Liu Xiaoqing's fierce autonomy becomes even more significant. She stands as a counter-narrative to silence, to shame, to defeat.
Liu Xiaoqing's refusal to be defined or diminished is a beacon—especially for the young, the voiceless, the overlooked.
Not Just an Icon, But a Possibility
Liu once wrote, "I've been knocked down countless times, but I'll never be defeated." In a world that asks women to shrink themselves, she expands—into roles too young, ideas too radical, dreams too bold.
She may be a rare case, a "superwoman" in a world of "ordinary people." But when ordinary people look up often enough, they begin to grow wings too.
"Only the future created by your own hands can be truly yours," she once said.
"As long as the fire inside doesn't go out, hope will always remain."
