Dancer Liu Yan. [Photo provided to China Daily]

In 2014, Liu teamed up with French choreographer Kilina Cremona and took the stage again in The Red Thread (Le Fil Rouge). The musical and choreographic work, featuring Liu, Chinese dancer Chen Maoyuan and French dancer Sophie Jegou, premiered in Beijing during the 2014 Croisements Festival, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and France.

A dancer who began performing classical Chinese dance at the age of 9, Liu also has published a book, Dance of Hands, about her research on the hand gestures of classical Chinese dance.