Chinese dancer explores art by reading

"I've developed a regular daily routine that starts by reading in the morning before I go the gym," says Liu, adding that she reads poems, both traditional and contemporary.

After she somewhat recovered from the accident, Liu started to push the boundaries by researching hand movements in dance, which has allowed her to "continue to dance in a different way".

She started to pursue her doctoral degree at the Chinese National Academy of Arts in 2010 and focused on her research on hand movements in dancing. In 2014, she published a book on hand movements in Peking opera, a traditional art form, with a history of more than 200 years that was listed by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity in 2010.

"I read lots of books about hand gestures in Chinese dance," says Liu, who published her first book, Dance With Hands, in 2014, focusing on Peking Opera.

She also studied about religion with Zheng Xiaoyun, director and research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of World Religions. In 2021, Liu published her second book, Impression of Hands, with a focus on the dancing postures seen on the murals of Mogao Grottoes, the Buddhist art trove in Dunhuang, Gansu province. She says the research not only allowed her to explore more about dance but also taught her to appreciate traditional culture, which, like Cheng Yu Ci Dian, plays an important role in contemporary life in China.

Liu has put her research into choreography as well. She launched her dance studio in 2019. In the summer of 2021, she staged her debut directorial dance drama, Jing Yan, which featured colleagues from the Beijing Dance Academy.

"Books can literally change your life. Reading can help you learn and experience," says Liu, adding that she reads digital books every day, especially when she spends time alone.

Among the books she likes are those by Chinese scholar Ji Xianlin (1911-2009), who wrote on Buddhism and traditional culture.

"His thoughts are like an encyclopedia, which can make people wise, and while written in plain words, like talking to friends, his life wisdom influences me," says Liu.