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- Alysa Liu father: Arthur Liu
- Does Alysa Liu have a mother?
- Who is Yan 'Mary' Qingxin?
- Alysa Liu ethnicity
- How many siblings does Alysa Liu have?
- Where is Alysa Liu from?
At the age of 20, Alysa Liu has quickly become one of the biggest names in figure skating.
Already, Liu has racked up accolades like a 2025 World Championship gold medal, a 2026 Olympic team event gold medal and a Grand Prix final gold medal. Liu, who stepped away from figure skating for over a year after the 2022 Beijing Olympics, also has an intriguing background.
From her father, who has roots as a political activist in China, to her Bay Area upbringing, Liu's skating career largely became a product of her upbringing.
Here's everything to know about Liu's family and background.
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Alysa Liu father: Arthur Liu
Alysa Liu's father is Arthur Liu. He is a lawyer with his own practice, also owning a history as a political activist in China. Arthur has remained closely involved with Alysa's figure skating career throughout her life.
In the 1990s, Arthur Liu immigrated from China to the United States as a political refugee after being forced into exile; he was a student who helped organize demonstrations in China around the same time as the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.
In 2022, the U.S. Justice Department unsealed criminal charges involving "three separate efforts by agents of the Chinese government to intimidate critics of the regime living in the U.S.," per NBC News, including Arthur Liu.
Liu said in that story that in the 1990s, there was a student who was sent to spy on him, who then confessed to his actions after Liu took him into his house and helped find him work.
"They are still paying attention to me after 30-some years. Since I organized protests and hunger strikes for democracy in China," Arthur Liu told NBC News. "I’m a little bit surprised that after all this time, they’re still keeping track of me."
As for Liu's involvement in his daughter's figure skating career, he's played a major role. Alysa began skating at 5 years old, and her father was the one picking coaches and leading her path — including financially. He previously told CBS News in a "60 Minutes" interview he spent between $500,000 and $1 million on his daughter's figure skating career.
"It was basically his business. It wasn't really mine," Alysa Liu said to CBS.
Per CBS News, Arthur didn't have any skating background, and he had come to America "with nothing" before building his law practice and a family. He took Alysa to coaches in Japan and Canada, saying he "just saw the talent," but cycled through multiple coaches, including showing up to the rink despite coaches' wishes to keep him away.
Some coaches tried to keep Arthur Liu away from the rink during his daughter Alysa’s practices. He found a way to watch anyway, once sneaking in wearing a disguise. He didn’t like what he saw. https://t.co/IXfY8FGs3u pic.twitter.com/GAXbR8EKBQ
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) January 5, 2026Arthur's guidance proved effective, as Alysa later became the youngest woman to ever land a triple axel — 12 years old — and the youngest U.S. figure skating champion.
However, when Alysa decided to step away from figure skating after the 2022 Olympics, one of the reasons she decided to return was so she could have more control over her career — meaning her father took more of a back seat.
"She became really unhappy,” Arthur Liu told USA TODAY of Alysa's decision to step away from figure skating. "She avoided the ice rink at all costs. She's traumatized. She was just traumatized. She was suffering from PTSD and she wouldn't go near the ice rink.”
Arthur also told CBS in 2022 that he was "a little" hurt by his daughter's decision to take more control over her career, because "I brought you up" to national titles, but also said "she's a very free spirit, like me." He still remains a strong influence on his daughter's figure skating endeavors — but Alysa told CBS she "didn't want [Arthur] to be as invested in it as he was before."
That change has led Liu back to her skates, including her path to the 2026 Winter Olympics.
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Does Alysa Liu have a mother?
Alysa Liu does not have a traditional mother, as she was born via surrogate, but Arthur's former wife, Yan "Mary" Qingxin, was also a legal guardian throughout the star figure skater's childhood.
Who is Alysa Liu's biological mother?
Alysa Liu and her four siblings were all conceived through an anonymous egg donor and a gestational surrogate.
Alysa Liu mom: Yan 'Mary' Qingxin
Arthur Liu's ex-wife, Yan "Mary" Qingxin, was also a parental figure in Alysa Liu and her siblings' lives.
Mary was married to Arthur when Alysa was born, and she acted as a legal guardian to the children.
Are Alysa Liu's parents divorced?
Yes, Alysa Liu's parents, Arthuer Liu and Yan Qingxin, are divorced. However, Yan continued to act as a legal guardian for Alysa and her siblings after the divorce.
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Alysa Liu ethnicity
Alysa Liu has a diverse background, as her father, Arthur, is of Chinese dissent and holds American nationality. Alysa's biological mother was an anonymous egg donor who was white.
The star Chinese-American figure skater was born in California, raised in the U.S. before representing the country in plenty of international competitions.
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How many siblings does Alysa Liu have?
Alysa Liu has four siblings, and she is the oldest of the five. She has a younger sister named Selina, plus a group of triplets: Joshua, Justin and Julia.
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Is Alysa Liu related to Lucy Liu?
No, Alysa Liu is not related to actress Lucy Liu, despite having the same last name.
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Where is Alysa Liu from?
Alysa Liu was born in Clovis, California, which is a city in Fresno County. Her Team USA roster page lists her hometown as Oakland, California.
Liu began skating at Oakland Ice Center when she was five years old, taking lessons and quickly becoming a young star in the figure skating world. At age 10, she became the youngest female skater to earn the intermediate gold medal at the 2016 U.S. Championships. At age 13, she became the youngest-ever U.S. women's national champion, and at age 14, she became the youngest skater to win two senior national titles.
Liu was 16 years old when she competed at the 2022 Bejing Olympics, finishing sixth.
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