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Yifei, star of Disney’s live-action
remake of Mulan, lives in Beijing,
but she is originally from Wuhan,
epicenter of the coronavirus. In
January, the 32-year-old actress
left China for Los Angeles to
begin press for the film, weeks
before the virus’ outbreak, which
has now infected more than
77,000 people, killed more than
2,500 and wreaked havoc in
her home country. She says she
doesn’t have any family or close
friends personally affected by the
disease — she left Wuhan when
she was 10 — but the epidemic
has added an impossible-to-fore-
see variable to her film’s March 27
worldwide release.
Liu pauses when asked about
the outbreak. “It’s really heavy for
me to even think about it,” she
says. “People are doing the right
thing. They are being careful for
themselves and others. I’m so
touched actually to see how they
haven’t been out for weeks. I’m
really hoping for a miracle and
that this will just be over soon.”
In China, Liu is a household
name, nicknamed “Fairy Sister”
for her elegance and beauty.
Modeling since age 8, she broke
out in the 2003 Chinese TV series
Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, a
commercial hit in China and the
highest-rated Chinese drama in
Taiwan at the time, and hasn’t