Winner of the 50th Franciso Tárrega International Guitar Competition in Benicàssim, Xianji Liu is the first ever Chinese-born guitarist who won the competition over the last half century.

He finished his secondary education in the Music School Affiliated to Shanghai Conservatory of Music. After completing his bachelor’s degree at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, Xianji continued his studies with Roberto Aussel at the Hochschule füer Musik und Tanz Koeln in Cologne,Germany. He completed the Konzertexamen with Ricardo Gallén at the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt in Weimar.

He has performed as a soloist with orchestras and in recital throughout Europe (Germany, Holland, Portugal, and Spain), China, Korea, and the US. Among these Orchestras are: Spanish RTVE Symphony Orchestra; Valencia Symphony Orchestra; the Symphony Orchestra of the Madrid Academy; Jenaer Philharmonie; and Zhejiang Symphony Orchestra.

A young active classical guitar master, Xianji released two albums in 2017: Latin Guitar Sonatas, and Guitar Recital,via lbs Classical and Naxos respectively, which were reviewed by quite a number of music magazines including Scherzo and Ritmo.In 2020，he released the Rodrigo concerto CD with Spanish RTVE Symphony Orchestra.

Together with the world legendary classical guitarist Angel Romero, Xianji played Joaquin Rodrigo’s concierto with Valencia Symphony Orchestra in November 2016.

In 2018, Television Espanola (TVE) and Radio Television Espanola (RTVE) broadcast live simultaneously Fantasia para un Gentilhombre performed by Xianji and Spanish RTVE Symphony Orchestra.

In the same year, Conservatori Superior de Musica Oscar Espla Alicante listed Fantasia para un Gentilhombre played by Xianji into La Catedral De Las 6 Cuerdas, a historical documentary for classical guitar in Spain.

On 21 September 2019, at Palacio Real de Aranjuez ,Xianji, as the first invited classical guitarist from China, performed Fantasia para un Gentilhombre and Concerto De Aranjuez, again with Spanish RTVE Symphony Orchestra.

Xianji has been teaching in Shanghai Conservatory of Music since September 2018.