Photo: FSIM09 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · credits
Tier 3 · vertical & regional
Liu Fang
Person · female · People's Republic of China · Kunming · born 1974 · recording since 1997
Canadian musician
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Also known as Liu Fang · 刘芳 · 劉芳
Timeline
17 events▣ Album 15◦ Birth 1★ Debut release 1
1970s
1990s
· Debut release
Debut release: Chinese Traditional Pipa Music
First documented Album in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
2000s
2010s
2020s
Biography
English biography563 words · 5 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1349770108
Biography
Liu Fang (Chinese: t 劉芳, s 刘芳, p Liú Fāng; b. 1974) is a Chinese–Canadian musician who is one of the most prominent pipa players in the world. Described in the media as the "empress of pipa" (L'actualité), "divine mediator" (World), "the greatest ambassadress of the art of the pipa", Liu Fang is known as "possessing virtuoso technique, grace and a unique empathy toward the music she plays – whether it is a traditional and folk tune or a modern Western composition" (All Music Guide). "She has an extraordinary focused, poised presence in her manner and her playing. In a lesser player this is just a trained formality; the body of material and techniques for her instruments is extremely highly developed, passed down through centuries. But Liu Fang’s total devotion to her playing has moved her beyond perfect execution to the creativity and flexibility that marks a true musician."(in the fRoots Magazine, 06.2006).
Biography
Born in Kunming in the Chinese province of Yunnan, she began playing the pipa at the age of 6. Her first solo public performance was at the age of 9. In 1986, at age 11, she played for Queen Elizabeth II. Her studies at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music broadened her musical range and allowed her to study the guzheng.
At the age of 22, Liu Fang immigrated to Canada and is now a Canadian citizen, currently residing in Montreal. The decision to move to Quebec allowed her virtuosic playing to reach a wider international audience. Since 1999, she has performed hundreds of solo concerts featuring Chinese traditional and classical music on her two solo instruments - pipa and guzheng. Her profile has risen due to her rich and deeply spiritual performances as well as a wide-ranging repertoire that features music from Chinese classical and folk traditions (including pieces rarely heard) as well as contemporary works from both east and west.
Side projects
Apart from her numerous solo concerts, Liu Fang has also many intercultural collaborations in terms of "Silk and Steel Projects", where "Silk" represents the traditional culture of China whereas "steel" is a metaphor for modernity and western culture. Her last album entitled "Silk Sound
Silk SoundSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Hautes montagnes et eaux ruisselantes (High Mountains and Rippling Waters)5:512Fleur de jasmin (Jasmine Flower)5:383Le roi de Chu se défait de son armure (The King Chu Doffs His Armour)11:154Première rencontre (Primary Meeting)6:275Le bateau dragon (The Dragon Boat)4:146Tapisserie brodée d'or (Gold-Embroidered Tapestry)2:587Une chanson d'amour de Kanding (Kangding Love-Song)9:018Lune d'automne sur lac calme (Autumn Moon Over the Calm Lake)4:499Brise dans une pluie de flocons (Light Wind in a Cloud of Falling Snow-Flakes)5:5610Lune d'automne sur le palais de l'empereur des Han (Autumn Moon Over the Han Imperial Palace)8:3011Promenade au pays des rêves (A Walk in the Country Of Dreams)5:04" (Le son de soie) featured musical dialogues with artists from three different continents and was awarded the grand prize of L'Académie Charles Cros, the French equivalent of the US Recording Academy.
Live performances
Liu Fang has made a number of national and international radio and TV appearances, produced several CDs. Liu Fang was invited as one of the featured artists by BBC World Service for the concert on November 7, 2003, dedicated to World AIDS Day. She performed at the 60th anniversary of UNESCO in Paris on November 16, 2005, and has also been honored by the government of Canada. She has performed with orchestras, string quartets and various instruments the works of many contemporary composers, including R. Murray Schafer, Tan Dun, Philip Glass, Janet Maguire, Ian Wilson, José Evangelista, Zhou Long, Melissa Hui, Diego Luzuriaga, Chen Yi, Toshiyuki Hiraoka, Yoshiharu Takahashi, David Loeb, Hugue Leclair, Simon Bertrand and Chantale Laplante, to mention a few, and has performed frequently with guitarist Michael O'Toole and the violinist Malcolm Goldstein.
Movie Soundtracks
2012: Summer in Provence, Directed by Christian Lara
2011: We Need to Talk About Kevin (film), directed by Lynne Ramsay
2007: Up the Yangtze, directed by Yung Chang.
1998: The sun rises over Tian-An-Men Square, directed by Shui-Bo Wang.
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 19 | 79.7th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 16 | 85.4th |
| Studio albums | 15 | 94.6th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 17 | 92.4th |
| Recording span (years) | 25 | 55.9th |
| Genres | 4 | 84.7th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (16 release groups · 15 studio albums)
Albums · 15
Chinese Traditional Pipa Music
1997 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 9 tracks · 55:43
1The Great Wave Washes the Beach4:382Flying Snow Decorating the Green4:573Melody From a Bamboo House4:144The Love of the Wei River8:105The Dance of the Yi People6:156Spring Rain7:057The Romance of the Red River Valley3:398The Moon is High12:389The Flower Festival4:072000 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 10 tracks · 1:00:29
1Maulbronn12:492Al Ud al Andalusi6:483Dragon Boat Festival4:564Homa9:385Shepherd Maid3:166I'o Vl Bene1:487Jasmine Fower6:258The Night of Bonfire5:159Chanting of Tie-Ma6:1810The Spring on Tianshan Mountain3:162001 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 8 tracks · 1:03:54
1Swirl Snow Decorating the Evergreen (Fei Hua Dian Cui)5:212A Moonlit Night On the Xunyang River (Xun Yang Yue Ye)10:403High Mountain and Flowing Water (Gao Shan Liu Shui)2:404Songs from the Other Side of the Border (Sai Shang Qu)11:545Sunny Spring and White Snow (Yang Chun Bai Xue)3:046The Moon Is High (Yuer Gao)12:377Seagulls Playing In Cold Water (Han Ya Xi Shui)6:078The King Chu Doffs His Armour (Ba Wang Xie Jia)11:312003 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 8 tracks · 49:18
1Spring Rain6:542Serenity5:253New Variation of Tang Dynasty Liuyao Dance6:354Great Waves Clean Out Sands5:375The Ancient Tunes from Yingzhou4:586On the Theme of an Air to Dance5:317Songs of Zhaojun8:498The Ambush5:292005 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 12 tracks · 53:25
1东风破5:152恋曲19905:183窗外3:394丁香花4:485回心转意4:456别说你的眼泪你无所谓4:207千纸鹤4:038朋友别哭3:569一生有你4:0610爱情诺曼底4:5511我想我是海4:4012花好月圆夜3:402005 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 12 tracks · 51:21
1两只蝴蝶5:042芒花3:413小薇3:174飘洋过海来看你4:415哭砂5:016初吻3:457痴心绝对4:198江南4:169水中花4:3510回来我的爱3:4411月半湾4:1512看海4:432006 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 11 tracks · 1:09:43
1Hautes montagnes et eaux ruisselantes (High Mountains and Rippling Waters)5:512Fleur de jasmin (Jasmine Flower)5:383Le roi de Chu se défait de son armure (The King Chu Doffs His Armour)11:154Première rencontre (Primary Meeting)6:275Le bateau dragon (The Dragon Boat)4:146Tapisserie brodée d'or (Gold-Embroidered Tapestry)2:587Une chanson d'amour de Kanding (Kangding Love-Song)9:018Lune d'automne sur lac calme (Autumn Moon Over the Calm Lake)4:499Brise dans une pluie de flocons (Light Wind in a Cloud of Falling Snow-Flakes)5:5610Lune d'automne sur le palais de l'empereur des Han (Autumn Moon Over the Han Imperial Palace)8:3011Promenade au pays des rêves (A Walk in the Country Of Dreams)5:042006 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 11 tracks · 46:06
1纸飞机3:542无声的雨3:453东南西北风3:574月亮惹的祸4:265七月初七4:236吻别英文版4:007我是不是该安静地走开4:028飘摇3:469单身情歌4:0810七里香4:1411醉清风5:312006 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 10 tracks · 52:36
1Night Scene Of Red River3:532Autumn Moon In The Palace Of Han6:073Friends From Afar, Anchor Your Stay3:374The Night Of Bonfire Fest5:425Bamboo House4:296Dao Chui Lian3:157The Love For The Wei River8:168Give You A Rose1:459Fantasia On Reform9:2710The Dance of the Yi People6:052007 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 12 tracks · 54:28
1被爱伤过是人4:372我是真的爱你4:433千里之外4:264情深缘浅4:275如果今生不能在一起5:136蓝眼泪5:027认真的雪4:218擦干你的眼泪4:199痛得彻底3:4110独唱情歌5:0011爱你不会变4:0812你的选择4:312008 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 15 tracks · 1:14:36
1儿行千里4:282十送红军5:373成吉思汗的传说6:134弥渡山歌3:545父亲的草原母亲的河5:166青花瓷4:297天下父母心5:058知道不知道3:479蓝色的故乡4:5210映山红4:4411紫竹调4:0412香巴拉并不遥远6:2013万泉河水清又清4:5514白发亲娘6:0015盼团圆4:522008 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 15 tracks · 1:05:21
1青花瓷4:312回心转意4:473两只蝴蝶5:064芒花3:435成吉思汗的传说6:156你的背包4:007突然的自我3:418花香4:259七月初七4:2510吻别（英文版）4:0211你的选择4:3312被爱伤过的人4:3913东西南北风3:5914小薇3:1915朋友别哭3:562008 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 15 tracks · 1:08:33
1丁香花4:502千里之外4:283说你爱我3:564千纸鹤4:055无声的雨3:476飘摇3:487白月光4:198我是真的爱你4:349恋曲19905:2010单身情歌4:1011醉清风5:3312我想我是海4:4213哭沙5:0314东风破5:1715漂洋过海来看你4:41Emerging Lotus - Chinese Traditional Guzheng Music
2016 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 12 tracks · 53:56
1Lotus Emerging on the Surface of Water3:102Three Variations of Plum Blossom5:103A Red Point2:124High Mountain and Flowing Water5:585Seagulls Playing in Water6:026The Autumn Moon in the Palace of a Han Emperor6:287Freedom Flowers2:288Pink Lotus6:309Song of Fishermen on a Home-Bound Boat During Sunset3:5510Chanting of a Tiema5:5011Embroidering of the Golden Tapestry2:4312Guangling Fantasia3:302022 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 11 tracks · 30:00
1Enivré par les sons de la rivière2:382Perles d'eau glissant sur une fleur de lotus3:153Montagnes majestueuses et eau pure1:494Trois-six (Trois variations d'une mélodie de prune)4:145Fleur de prunier sur les rives d'un ruisseau2:116Complainte des terres isolées3:077Lune automnale sur le palais de l'empereur3:318Petit poisson barbotant dans l'eau1:019Effluves de fleurs de prunier1:5810Lune automnale sur lac paisible2:5011Danse des Yi3:26
Other · 1
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 声声醉3Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 12 tracks · 51:411一个人4:55 2呼唤5:00 3奇迹3:46 4说你爱我3:52 5突然的自我3:33 6超时空爱情5:09 7我是真的爱你4:28 8你的背包3:56 9风中的承诺4:42 10一首简单的歌3:54 11白月光4:11 12花香4:15 | 2005 |
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Liu Fang head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 19 | 79.7th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 16 | 85.4th |
| Studio albums | 15 | 94.6th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 17 | 92.4th |
| Recording span (years) | 25 | 55.9th |
| Genres | 4 | 84.7th |
Awards & honours
Where this record comes from
portrait—Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Liu_Fang.jpgaliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/bb8eab6c-7334-454e-84f6-9605f7d1fefddiscography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/bb8eab6c-7334-454e-84f6-9605f7d1fefdcore—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q234802seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liu_Fangbiography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liu_Fang
Why this artist is in the database
- List of Canadian musicians
Tier rule: curated genre/region list
Image: FSIM09 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Wikidata: Q234802 · MusicBrainz: bb8eab6c-7334-454e-84f6-9605f7d1fefd