Child of the jungle Liu retired from the engineering career that he had pursued for most of his life in 1971. The next year he accepted an invitation to work as a lecturer in the Philippines. While serving his tenure in the Philippines, he also participated in a survey of Filipino aboriginal art, unlocking the gateway into the realm of cultural anthropology.
叢林之子民國六十年，告別大半輩子的公職生涯後，劉其偉在隔年應「菲華藝術聯合會」的邀請，到菲律賓講學，同時參與了菲國原住民文化藝術調查，正式展開文化人類學研究的第一步。