(Yicai Global) Nov. 30 -- Since Walt Disney Co. [NYSE:DIS] announced its adaptation of the classic animation Mulan as a live-action movie, film buffs have been focusing on the selection of the heroine.

After a year of auditions, Disney announced that Chinese actress Liu Yifei will play the legendary role, The Hollywood Reporter reported.

The tale of Hua Mulan, who assumed her father's place and joined the army disguised as a man, is widely known in China, and came to the attention of the whole world after Disney adapted the story into an animation in 1998. Mulan's global box office hit USD300 million that year. 

The 30-year-old Liu made a figure by starring in the television drama Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils in 2003. From 2008, she began to migrate toward movie circles, and became the first Asian actress to rank first in the IMDB List of Movie Newbies (MDB) based on her character in The Forbidden Kingdom, an action movie also starring Jacky Chan. Directed by New Zealander Niki Caro, Mulan will be the first true Hollywood-dominated live-action movie. It will go into shooting next year and issue worldwide in 2019.