Initially trained in the Socialist Realist style, Liu studied mural painting in Beijing before immigrating to the U.S. in 1984. Known for paintings based on historical Chinese photographs, Liu has painted prostitutes, refugees, street performers, soldiers, laborers and prisoners, among others. Her painting challenges the documentary authority of historical Chinese photographs by subjecting them to the more reflective process of painting. She lives in Oakland where she is Professor Emerita at Mills College.