Liu Xiaomei was born in January 1956. She is a native of Tianjin and her family does folk art.

When she was in school, she learned to sing Xihe Dagu from her mother, and learned storytelling from her grandfather, laying a solid foundation in art. In 1973, she joined Qingyuan County Literary and Art Propaganda Team. In 1975, she was transferred to Baoding District Art Troupe.