Gong was hand-picked by Zhang when studying at the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing to play the lead in Red Sorghum (1987), which was her debut performance. Her rustic beauty shone through in Zhang’s later films including Ju Dou (1990), Raise the Red Lantern (1991) and The Story of Qiu Ju (1992), and she soon became the most famous Chinese actress of her generation.

Zhang Ziyi made her cinematic debut in Zhang Yimou’s The Road Home (1999), wowing audiences with her ethereal beauty and gritty portrayal of a poor country girl pining for a teacher sent from the city. A year later, she gained international fame for her role in Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon .

Zhou’s debut performance in Zhang Yimou’s Cultural Revolution tragic romance Under the Hawthorn Tree (2010) turned her into an overnight star. Last year, she picked up a range of best actress awards for her role in the bullying drama Better Days , a nominee for best international feature film in last month’s Academy Awards.

Cliff Walkers: Zhang Yimou spy thriller has labyrinthine plot

In a recent media interview, Zhang Yimou said he would never pick actresses who have done plastic surgery for his movies. “Plastic surgery damages facial muscles. Actresses who have done that are fine in still photos, but not in moving images. To pick a face for the big screen, I use the camera to consider a face from various angles and with different light sources. Between being still and moving, a face has to be viewed many times before I make a choice.”

Liu, who graduated from the Beijing Dance Academy, clearly passed muster. In One Second, she plays a dirty-looking street urchin traipsing the desert in search of photographic film.

Her second film performance in A Little Red Flower (2021) was as a cancer-stricken girl who strives to live life to the fullest despite all the odds stacked against her. Like Cliff Walkers, A Little Red Flower was also a box office success, having taken in 1.4 billion yuan.

But while Zhang Yimou told the media that Liu would be the successor to Zhou, audiences have not been impressed so far with her acting skills. Critics said the opportunities given to Liu far outweighed her acting credentials.

A review on WeChat media account Yulechanye said Liu’s acting is the worst among all of the performers in Cliff Walkers.

“When having to shoot a scene of Liu’s character crying in Cliff Walkers, Liu just couldn’t cry,” the review said. “Production staff on set told Liu the sun was going down and there wouldn’t be any natural light in 15 minutes’ time. Zhang didn’t want to put pressure on the actors and told everybody the scene could be shot the next day or even later.

“Zhang also [deliberately] cut down on her dialogue so as not to show her flaws. But the audience can still see the obvious difference between her and the other actors.”

Liu Yifei, Fan Bingbing: the top Chinese actresses in Hollywood

The review also criticised her performance in One Second. “There’s a scene where she [as a poverty-stricken vagrant child] doesn’t want to eat a whole bowl of noodles, so some can be saved for her brother at home. Liu’s performance is unconvincing as she doesn’t show any desire for food.”

Asked in a recent interview about her acting career, Liu said the road to becoming a successful actor is a long one and a lot of effort is needed to get the right results.

“They worked hard to flesh out their characters in each of their films,” she said of her predecessors that were hand-picked by Zhang. Liu added that she hoped her acting skills would be enriched in the future.

Want more articles like this? Follow SCMP Film on Facebook