"When I traveled to Dunhuang, I watched many dance shows inspired by Mogao Grottoes' murals," Liu recalls.

"The dancers vividly bring those murals alive onstage by imitating the moves of the characters portrayed in those paintings, including hand gestures."

The native of Hohhot, capital of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, has studied classical Chinese dance since age 9. She graduated from the Beijing Dance Academy in 2003, and has won national awards and appeared at galas as a solo dancer.

After withdrawing from the limelight, Liu established the Liu Yan Arts Special Fund in 2010 to help students living in poverty, orphans and migrant workers' children through art education.

She launched her dance studio in 2019. This summer, she staged her debut directorial dance drama, Jing Yan, which featured colleagues and students from the Beijing Dance Academy on the creative team.