According to Sohu, Liu Yifei and Liu Shishi have never directly collaborated or competed against each other, yet they are two names that do not want to be seen as rivals in the Chinese entertainment industry. This long-standing rivalry has its roots in events that occurred 16 years ago.
Sohu also reported that Liu Yifei gained fame at the age of 16, significantly earlier than Liu Shishi. After she participated in Chinese Paladin 1 alongside Hu Ge, the producer of the show, Thai Neng Nong, expressed a fondness for Liu Yifei and wanted to sign a contract with her as soon as possible. In fact, Liu Yifei has always preferred to focus on her film career, with the support of her adoptive father, and she has her own management company to oversee her artistic activities without relying on Thai Neng Nong.
As a result, Thai Neng Nong wanted to find a person with a similar image to Liu Yifei to reflect the essence of her character. Liu Shishi then caught the attention of Thai Neng Nong.
The method of creating Liu Shishi’s image as a star similar to Liu Yifei was implemented by Thai Neng Nong. Initially, when Liu Yifei collaborated with Hu Ge and Yang Mi in Chinese Paladin 1, Liu Shishi also had a common project with these two male leads in The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years. At that time, the media compared their collaborations subtly to determine who was more attractive.
Later on, after Liu Yifei gained fame for her role as the Fairy of the South in Chinese Paladin 3 (2003), Liu Shishi also played a fairy in a game advertisement.
The turning point came when in Heroic Legend, Liu Shishi was referred to as “the successor of Liu Yifei,” which made many viewers address her as the younger Liu Yifei, even though both actresses were born in 1987. This incident caused her to feel uncomfortable as she was being overshadowed by Liu Yifei’s fame. It can be said that this has been a “pain point” in Liu Shishi’s career. Many people believe that Liu Shishi’s fame is largely due to the overshadowing popularity of Liu Yifei.
However, Liu Shishi herself does not like to be called by another person’s name. After gaining fame from the film Painted Skin (2011), she responded in an interview that she does not want to be anyone’s copy.
Nonetheless, the association with the phrase “the successor of Liu Yifei” has often put Liu Shishi in a common frame with her peer. For 16 years, even though both are top-tier actresses in China, they have participated in many events and have a lot of common friends, yet they have not had any joint appearances or direct competition.
The only time Liu Shishi and Liu Yifei were seen together was at the Bazaar charity event in 2016. However, Liu Shishi appeared much lighter-skinned than Liu Yifei, who has a darker complexion. From that time, audiences have rarely seen these two actresses compete against each other.
