(Leo) Xi Rang Liu, who writes under the name of Liu Ao, studied Chinese Literature and graduated from Beijing Normal University. He worked in China as a journalist and editor.
In 1989, Liu emigrated to Australia where he became an Australian citizen and undertook further studies including a Bachelor of Business at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and a Graduate Diploma in Professional Writing at Deakin University. Working for the Australian Taxation Office, he has also pursued a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Creative Writing. He has translated works from English to Chinese and Chinese to English.
His novels have won recognition in the Federation of Overseas Chinese Associations Literary Awards, Taiwan, and in Australia he has been the recipient of Writer's Grants from the Australian Council. As well as his novels he has written plays for radio, television and stage, and was commissioned to translate the Agathie Christie inspired anthology Malice Domestic 9 into Chinese.