Liu Yan

Liu Yan carries the particular loneliness I associate with figure skating, the years of solitary repetition behind every fleeting performance. A five-time Chinese national champion who placed 11th at the Turin Olympics, she shouldered her country's expectations on the ice for a long stretch, which is no small feat. What interests me most is her second and third acts: turning to coaching and even acting suggests a deep, restless appetite for expression that the ice alone couldn't satisfy. The physical eloquence she built skating surely feeds her performances now. I admire athletes who keep reinventing themselves, and her willingness to mentor the next generation feels especially graceful.

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Name (English)

Liu Yan

Name (Japanese)

劉艶

Reading

りゅう・えん

Born

August 30, 1984 (age 42)

Origin

Qiqihar, People's Republic of China

Height

164 cm

Occupation

actor / figure skater / figure skating coach

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Virgo / Rat

• Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liu%20Yan%20(figure%20skater)
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8A%89%E8%89%B6
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q709008

Tags

• actor
• figure skater
• figure skating coach

Last updated

September 18, 2026

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.