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On Tuesday, the keyword “Liu Yifei’s mother’s beauty” surged to the top of Weibo’s trending topics as users shared videos of her performances and everyday photos.

Liu Xiaoli, 66, was a professional dancer who toured extensively in the 1980s and became known for her portrayal of Lady Xiang, a goddess in Xiang River folklore. In 1989, she held a solo dance showcase in Wuhan.

On Weibo, thousands of users described Liu Xiaoli as the embodiment of traditional Eastern beauty, elegant, refined and serene. Video clips of her dancing were praised as “ethereal” and “fairy-like.”

When Liu Yifei was 10, Liu Xiaoli divorced her husband and gave up her career to take her daughter to the U.S. to study. Five years later, they returned to China, where Liu Xiaoli became her daughter’s manager, accompanying her to film sets and coaching her in dance to support her acting roles.

In an interview with MtimeLiu Yifei expressed deep admiration for her mother, especially after watching her perform on stage. She joked that she “did not inherit the full beauty of my grandmother and mother” and “was the least attractive in the family.”

In a video posted in September, film producer Charles Heung’s wife Tiffany Chen said she had followed Liu Yifei’s career for years and believed the actress’s success was inseparable from her mother’s guidance. Chen said Liu Xiaoli raised her daughter to be empathetic and considerate, and professionally, both mother and daughter were known for their punctuality and respect for crew members. Even after achieving stardom, Liu Yifei never kept others waiting, she said.

Chen also noted that Liu Xiaoli believed in “raising a daughter with wealth” by cultivating character, knowledge and refinement from childhood so that her daughter would remain grounded and not be dazzled by fame or superficial glamour later in life.

Beyond financial support, Liu Xiaoli devoted most of her time to accompanying her daughter, especially during the early stages of her career. Liu Yifei has said that having her mother with her on set made her feel happier and more at ease, and that the two are like best friends. Chen praised Liu Xiaoli as a single mother who raised an exceptional daughter.

According to Yahoo Finance and St HeadlineLiu Yifei’s assets exceed 1.23 billion yuan (US$170 million). She owns a roughly 5,000-square-meter villa in Beijing and another property in the U.S., and is known for keeping her personal life private.